Kiss Me, Detective
by Nev827
Summary: A fun story, inspired by William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew.  What happens when Captain Montgomery orders Castle and Beckett to got to a formal dance together, but Detective Demming and FBI Agent Sorenson have other ideas.
1. Chapter 1

Kiss Me, Detective – Chapter 1

Assistant Medical Examiner Lanie Parrish was in a quandary. She had never been so conflicted about what to do over a date. Usually, she went with her gut, no equivocation, no "I'll call you later," just a straight yes or no. But this time, Robert Hughes left her confused.

Hughes was built like a football linebacker – tall, broad-shouldered, barrel-chested, and with forearms that resembled, well footballs. He was an imposing figure to anyone, and certainly an intimidating one to the criminals whose windows and front doors he busted through for a living as an NYPD SWAT TEAM member. Nevertheless, in the numerous times he had crossed Lanie's line of vision, she noticed that his size belied a gentle giant's nature, replete with a warm smile and playful eyes. And she couldn't deny that the possibility of going on a date with him had crossed her mind more than once.

Unfortunately, like many of the subjects who ended up on Lanie's exam table, Hughes, at least supposedly, had a past. Rumor around the precinct was that he had been quietly let go from being a SWAT Team commander in a police department in the Midwest after allegations surfaced that he had been abusive towards his ex-wife and had mistreated female members of the department who came under his command. And while Lanie knew she shouldn't read into anything or assume that the talk was true, her female intuition told her nonetheless to be cautious if she was ever left alone with him.

So when Hughes had stepped through the swinging double doors of her lab and confidently invited her to the NYPD's annual charity ball, for the first time in her life when a guy had asked her out, Lanie was left not knowing what to say. At first, she wanted to smile, bat her eyes and say an enthusiastic yes, but that little voice in the back her head told her not to be so hasty. So she politely told him she wasn't sure if she had plans that night or not, but that she would get back to him in a day or two. She was sure he'd see right through her like a pane of glass, but to her surprise, he smiled a sincere smile, agreed, wished her a good day, and left.

What on earth am I gonna do, Lanie thought to herself. I guess this is what Beckett goes through whenever that writer flirts with her, her inner voice continued, referring to her best friend, NYPD Homicide Detective Kate Beckett, and world-famous playboy murder mystery writer Richard Castle who had been shadowing Beckett for several months for a new series of books he was basing on her. Suddenly, now Lanie felt like a hypocrite. From the beginning of Castle's shadowing expedition, she had sensed a chemistry and attraction between him and her friend and had encouraged Kate to act on it. Yet, Kate, being Kate, thought first and threw up her emotional barriers to keep any romantic feelings towards Castle buried deep within herself. Now here Lanie was, Ms. Go Out And Get Writer Boy, dithering over whether or not she should spend one night with a handsome police officer who was obviously quite interested in her, else he wouldn't have made the trek all the way down from the precinct to her lab for no other reason.

It's just one night, Lanie's thoughts persisted. And you'll be in a ballroom full of cops. What cop with a reputation would get aggressive with a woman in a room chocked full of people who are trained to take down guys who get aggressive with women? The real way to tell would be to do what everyone told her to avoid doing – get yourself alone with him, but in a public place. Maybe a simple, no pressure dinner date before the ball would work…

"Dr. Parrish?" Lanie jumped slightly and whirled her head around when a man's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"What?"

"Are you alright, Lanie? I simply asked how you're coming on the report for Mr. Savage? The detectives on the case are beginning to ask questions," Lanie's boss, Chief Medical Examiner Ross Briscoe asked in his characteristically calm yet firm voice. Dr. Briscoe had been with the M.E.'s office for over 30 years and was an icon in the city. He was in his mid-50's, lanky, of average height, bespectacled, and bald but with gray hair in a strip that ran from one temple around the back of his head to the other temple. He was brilliant, respected, level-headed, soft-spoken, and demanded the highest standards and got them from his deputies who would gladly walk through walls for their hard-working and kind-hearted boss.

"I'm sorry, sir," Lanie recovered. "I'm almost done that report. Detectives will have it within the hour."

"Good. Thank you Lanie," Dr. Briscoe said and took a step back towards his office, then stopped when he saw the same far off look return to Lanie's face as was there a minute ago. "I don't mean to pry, but, are you sure you're ok?" he pressed.

Lanie chuckled quietly to herself at her typical failure to get anything past her boss. "Yes and no. Robert Hughes just asked me to the NYPD's annual ball and I don't know how I feel about going with him."

"Hughes…is that the new SWAT Team member from the Midwest with the alleged checkered reputation?" Briscoe asked evenly.

"That would be the one, yes." Lanie answered.

"Ah. So, and again I don't mean to pry," Briscoe continued taking a step closer to the woman who was one of his many protégés, "but am I to assume from the look on your face that you're torn between going to the ball with an eligible police officer and being the escort of a man who may or may not have got on very well with ladies in the past?"

"Right on the money, sir." As long as Lanie had known Dr. Briscoe, he never ceased to amaze her with how he picked up on the smallest details pertaining to the living as much as the dead. She had tremendous respect for him, both professionally and personally.

Briscoe smiled modestly. "Well, I wouldn't take too much time to make your decision. Both of us know how fickle fate and a beating heart can be." Briscoe tapped a few times on Lanie's table before flashing another warm smile and turning to head back to his office. Lanie nodded, returned his grin, and resumed her work.

An hour later, Dr. Briscoe's conversation with Lanie still stuck in his head. Having never had children of his own, he looked upon all of the men and women he had trained as his surrogate sons and daughters and felt a fatherly need to help them through difficult times and to protect them, within the limits of professional propriety, from whatever nefarious influences the world threw at them. Lanie was no different, so the fact that Hughes had shown a romantic interest in her caused his protective instincts to twinge. He had heard the rumors about Hughes himself, and while he knew that the man hadn't been convicted of a crime and that all human beings deserve the benefit of the doubt, he couldn't help but feel that something might be rotten in the proverbial State of Denmark.

But how could he protect Lanie without being too overt in his intentions, he wondered. After much deliberation, the answer came to him when he saw her friend, Detective Beckett enter the lab and begin conferring with Lanie over a body. Dr. Briscoe then picked up his phone and dialed his friend Captain Roy Montgomery.

Later that afternoon, Kate Beckett was back at her desk in the homicide division of the NYPD's 12th precinct working her way through paperwork. If Robert Hughes had a somewhat cloudy reputation from his former job, Beckett had a solid one not only as one of the best detectives in the city, but as one of the most hard-nosed and professional. She came in early every day, did her job relentlessly, then went home late. No fuss, no bull, and certainly no playing or joking. Crime scenes and dead bodies were sacred to her. Both told the story of how the body came to rest at that particular spot as opposed to anywhere else on the planet and provided the biggest clue that allowed her and her team to give loved ones the closure and the answers they craved. The same kind of answers she had been denied many years ago.

As the other members of her squad, Detectives Javier Esposito and Kevin Ryan, headed to the precinct elevator to go check on a lead on a case, Richard Castle, the multi-millionaire author and manchild-about-town began rhythmically drumming his fingers on the arm of the chair next to Kate's desk that he typically occupied. And as hard as she tried to block the noise out, the more incessant the tapping became.

"It's _Bonanza_," Castle finally said in response to an exasperated glare Kate shot at him.

"What?" she asked curtly.

"I'm drumming the theme from _Bonanza_. You know, the cowboy show with Michael Landon - "

"I know what _Bonanza_ is, Castle."

"Geezy-peezy, sorry. Just trying to entertain you some. After all, that paperwork looks _so_ exciting."

"Sorry to disappoint you Slick, but this is not television or the movies. Real cops do paperwork. It doesn't just magically disappear or do itself."

"Oh, but wouldn't it be so cool if it did? If you could just wave a magic wand and _Abra-cadabra_! It's done!" Castle picked up a pencil and waved it around over Beckett's desk in front of her computer screen then smiled like a kid who just got a puppy for his birthday as he finished talking. In response, Kate yanked the pencil out of his hand, effortlessly broke it in half using the edge of her desk, and handed it back to him without hardly batting one of her long eyelashes.

"You know it would have been _really_ impressive if you had broken it one-handed," Castle observed.

"Don't tempt me, Castle. I could break your pinkie right now without getting out of this chair if I wanted to." Kate couldn't help but notice that as she brought her threat home, Castle cleared his throat quietly and folded his hands neatly in his lap, putting his fingers out of her reach.

While their brief verbal sparring session was taking place, Captain Roy Montgomery was entertaining a guest in his office who now joined him in his doorway. Castle and Kate noticed that he was a slender man, balding, who was wearing glasses and a Medical Examiner's ID badge. While he looked vaguely familiar, neither could place where they had seen him before.

"Castle? Beckett? Can I have a word with both of you?" Captain Montgomery called in their direction.


	2. Chapter 2

Kiss Me, Detective – Chapter 2

"You want me to do what, sir?" Beckett asked Captain Montgomery, praying her ears had deceived her.

"You heard me, Beckett. Dr. Briscoe here and I are a little nervous about letting Dr. Parrish go to the charity ball with Officer Hughes. So, we figured, why not make it a double date, with you and Castle going with both of them." Montgomery explained to Kate again.

"Call it…a little extra insurance," Dr. Briscoe added. "If the rumors about Hughes are true, then I seriously doubt he'd try anything in polite company."

"You mean in MY company," Kate spat out, clearly aware of her own reputation around the precinct.

"I mean BOTH your company," Montgomery corrected. "Safety in numbers, right?"

"Absolutely, sir," Castle agreed, not bothering to hide the smirk on his face. As per usual he was enjoying seeing Beckett's buttons being pushed. He also thrilled at the prospect of seeing her socially, and, of course, in a long, formal gown that flattered her trim and toned body. "And I would consider it a distinct privilege to be Detective Beckett's escort for the night…"

"I'm shocked," Kate dead-panned.

"…And," Castle went on, playfully eyeing her, "to do my best to see that no harm comes to Dr. Parrish."

"THAT should be interesting," Kate muttered under her breath.

"So, we're agreed, then?" Montgomery said.

Beginning to panic, Kate tried a different tack. "Sir, what about Lanie? She's a big girl. She can take of herself. I mean, with all due respect, how do you plan on telling her about this? I doubt she'll like the idea of having one chaperone, much less two."

"No worries, Detective. I'll take care of informing Dr. Parrish in a way I deem appropriate. All I ask that you do, is show up with Mr. Castle, keep an eye out for any trouble, and have a good time." Dr. Briscoe assured while Beckett attempted to hide the fact that inside, she was seething with anger.

"C'mon, Beckett. It's only for one night." Montgomery prodded. "Then you two can go back to being best friends like you've been from the beginning." Montgomery smiled as he couldn't resist a little jibe.

"Sir, I…" Beckett tried.

"Detective, consider it an order. As well as doing a long overdue favor for the ME's office which, if I remember correctly, has always come through for us when we needed it." Montgomery said with finality.

Kate inhaled heavily and reluctantly nodded her assent to the arrangement, all the while trying to avoid glaring at her boss and Dr. Briscoe. However, once she stepped out of Captain Montgomery's office, her shadow wasn't so lucky. She walked directly, and with purpose, into the precinct lounge to pour herself a much needed cup of coffee. And just as she expected, Castle followed her.

"Tell me right now that you didn't put them up to this, or else, I swear to God in heaven, I will dislocate both your shoulders right here, right now." She growled and poked her index finger into his chest repeatedly to hammer her point home.

Castle raised his right hand as if taking an oath of office. "I swear. I had NOTHING to do with it, nor did I have any advance knowledge of any of it before we went in there. But, I will say this, since we're being honest, it's definitely not the first time I thought of going to the ball with a certain someone." Castle smirked again and looked deep into Beckett's eyes.

That look. How she hated that look. It was the one that secretly made her heart do back flips and that made it a necessity for her to teach herself how to hide it when her cheeks got flushed. Just how many women's virtue had fallen victim to that smile and those dancing, playful eyes, Kate had wondered sometimes as she worked at her desk late at night or soaked herself in a hot bath in her apartment. Truth be known, the prospect of being the Great Richard Castle's date for anything gave her a slight naughty thrill. The thrill, however, was always quickly vanquished by his insufferable, immature nature. But she was stuck. The Captain had given her an order and, she admitted to herself, was right. Dr. Briscoe, Lanie and all their colleagues had come through for her co-workers many times and hardly ever got the credit they deserved. So she had no choice, but to suck it up. She'd do it for Lanie. Not for him.

"Relax, pumpkin," Kate teased and stepped closer to Castle so her voice was the level of a whisper. "As Captain Montgomery said, it's only one night. And don't lose sight of the fact that I'm doing this for Lanie, not you."

As Kate turned and headed for the door to the lounge and her desk just beyond, she noticed that Ryan and Esposito had returned and were engrossed in examining evidence that they had spread out on Esposito's desk. The two had returned from their sojourn earlier than both had expected to find Castle and Beckett in Captain Montgomery's office with the city's Chief Medical Examiner. When Beckett had stormed out of the Captain's office and headed into the lounge with Castle hot on her heels, they knew something was afoot. So they made a show of examining evidence on Esposito's desk, which as luck would have it, was the closest desk to the entrance to the lounge, allowing their ears easy access to any conversation held within. Hearing the words "plan" and "ball", and phrases like "only one night", their eyes flew open wide. But before they could confirm their suspicions, both Castle and Beckett wrapped up their conversation and began heading in their direction.

Since Ryan was already going to the ball with his long-time girlfriend Jenny, that left Esposito thinking to himself that if Beckett needed someone to go to the ball with, he knew the perfect guy.

Later that night after their shift was over and, after the rumor that Castle had asked Beckett to the ball and that she was undecided about going had spread throughout the precinct, Esposito met an old friend, newly-minted 12th precinct robbery Detective Tom Demming, at a nearby bar for a drink.

"Hey man, I got a hot tip for you about Beckett," Esposito began.

"You mean that hot spitfire of a boss you work under?" Demming asked, his voice rising with anticipation.

"Yeah, her. And, dude, I know you're hot for her and all, but please spare me. I do work with the woman."

"Aww c'mon, Esposito. You're really gonna sit there and tell me that you've never thought about her in the biblical sense?" Demming challenged and took a long hit off his beer.

"Alright, bro. You're cut off," Esposito said and reached for his friend's partially empty beer bottle.

"Alright, alright man. Sorry," Demming apologized.

"Anyway, you hear the rumor going around the precinct today about her and Castle?"

"Her and Castle? That rich sissy boy writer? Please tell me they're not doing the nasty."

"They're not," Esposito said, starting to get annoyed at Demming's bluntness again. "But, story goes Castle asked Beckett to the annual charity ball and she hasn't given him an answer yet. You got a date for the ball yet?"

"Nope. But give me time," Demming replied slyly raising his eyebrows. The two men clinked their beer bottles together and began formulating a plan.

Meanwhile, across town, in the offices of the New York City District Attorney, F.B.I. Special Agent Will Sorenson lingered in the doorway of Assistant District Attorney Tracy Chen's office as she talked on the phone. Tracy motioned for him to step inside and have a seat as she wrapped up her conversation.

"Don't worry, girl, we'll figure something out…Now you know I would not put you in anything that will make you look one iota less than stunning…Alright. Yes. I'll see you then. Bye, Detective."

"What was that all about? Didn't sound much like business." Sorenson inquired.

"Nope, it wasn't. That was none other than your ex, Detective Beckett. Apparently, she needs help finding a ball gown rather quickly." Tracy said, trying to pile as much meaning into her words as possible.

"Wow. So either she's got a date to the NYPD's annual charity ball, or she's thinking of going by herself." He thought out loud.

"You know, you FBI agents never cease to amaze me with your powers of deduction," Tracy said sarcastically. "But I think you're wrong on both counts. I get the distinct feeling that she's waffling about going with someone."

"Now what powers of deduction led you to that conclusion?" Sorenson teased back.

"Call it Prosecutor's Intuition. She wouldn't spill any specifics on who she was going with, what he planned on wearing, what they might do beforehand, etc. And she said it was kind of a spur of the moment thing."

"You don't suppose that murder mystery writer asked her do you? Cause she can do a lot better than him," Sorenson observed.

"You mean she can do a lot better by going with you?" Tracy asked in her trademark direct fashion.

"Well, if the shoe fits." Will responded smugly.

"Will, Will, Will, Will, Will, when are you going to get it through that arrogant head of yours that it's over? She's done with you."

"Now what makes you think that is the case?" Will retorted, with even more smugness.

"Because she's told me. More than once. Now I cannot make you stop chasing after her like a cat chasing its tail, but I'm also not gonna give you false hope."

"That's kind of you. But I think once ol' Katie gets a load of this," Sorenson gestured to his obviously well-toned physique, "in a tux, she'll change her mind."

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Tracy said skeptically and pulled the case file out of desk that Sorenson had dropped by to discuss.


	3. Chapter 3

Kiss Me, Detective – Chapter 3

Early the next morning Detective Demming stepped off the 12th precinct elevator and stepped onto the floor allocated to the Homicide Division. He took a few steps off the elevator and stopped, surveying the layout of the floor. He had been on the floor a number of times, but had never really studied it, using all his well-honed detective instincts. After committing the floor plan to memory, he sought out one particular desk in the open area in front of the elevator. He found it, located several rows of desks back from the elevator, near the office of Captain Montgomery. Knowing the reputation of the person to whom the desk was assigned, he half expected to see it occupied at this hour of the morning, and was surprised to find it empty. He strode casually over to it, noting the location of two of the desk's neighbors, assigned to the partnered Detectives Ryan and Esposito. He stopped next to the worn armchair that sat next to the desk and looked around, again surveying the layout of the floor, but from a new angle. He then studied the contents of the desk, doing his best to glean what he could about its usual occupant without touching anything. However, he couldn't resist one of the small ceramic elephants that sat next to the keyboard. He picked it up and held it gingerly in his hands, smiling coyly to himself.

"Detective Demming," a voice behind him said. Demming turned to see the desk's occupant, Detective Beckett, standing before him, coffee in one hand, purse in the other. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" She inquired somewhat skeptically.

"What? You mean a robbery detective can't come up to visit his comrades in Homicide once in a while for no reason?" He answered, and flashed what he considered one of his trademark grins.

Kate now knew exactly the reason Demming had visited her floor, and she was convinced that it had nothing to do with official police business, given that the story about her and Castle possibly going to the ball together had spread rapidly all over the precinct. She rolled her eyes at his subtle flirtation, determined to nip it in the bud. "Spare me the lines, Robocop. When was the last time you found that a crime victim did something for no reason? There's always a reason for everything and something tells me that yours has nothing to do with anything related to the NYPD." She stepped around him, and sat down in her chair sipping her coffee casually. He, in turn, sat down in the armchair next to her desk.

Demming loved Kate's bristly sharp-witted spirit. Contrary to what she probably thought, her Robocop comment only spurred him on further. She was a challenge he was determined to meet and conquer, like a mountain climber faced with climbing Mount Everest. "Ah, now that's where you're wrong. You see, my schedule just opened up for the night of the big charity ball and … to be honest, I've been looking for an opportunity to ask you out since I got here. I figured this would be the perfect opportunity for us to have a…you know…first date."

"Demming, what rock have you been living under?" Kate asked incredulously.

"Honestly, I have no idea what you're talking about." Demming returned innocently.

"You expect me to believe that you've been here six months, pining after me the whole time, and have just now decided to make your move coincidentally the day after I find a date myself?"

"How'd you know I've been here six months?" Demming asked trying to deflect the question.

"I'm a detective, Demming. Just like you, it's my job to notice things, details, and especially people."

"You like me don't cha?"

Kate rolled her eyes to such an extent this time that she almost fell out of her chair. She exhaled a loud huff and took a disinterested drink of her coffee, then booted up her computer.

"That's Ok. You don't have to admit it right now. But my invitation still stands." Demming then stood as tall and confident as he could. He made to head back towards the elevator as more and more NYPD personnel were arriving to start their workday, but stopped himself as a thought popped into his head. He walked around behind where Kate sat in her chair and leaned down to whisper in her right ear.

"In case you change your mind about Writer Boy, you know where to find me." He then walked directly towards the elevator, leaving Kate to stew to herself about who was responsible for this new development.

As Demming approached the elevator, its doors pinged open and Detective Esposito exited. As the two men's paths crossed, Esposito gave Demming a knowing nod to which Demming responded quietly "Got everything I need to know."

As Demming stepped onto the elevator, someone else followed Esposito off – FBI Agent Sorenson. As Esposito made his way towards his desk, he is stopped by his partner Ryan coming out of the break room with a mug full of coffee. The two exchanged a brief morning greeting, then Ryan began to fill his partner in on overnight developments concerning their latest open cases.

Sorenson, dripping bravado, strolled over to Beckett's desk where she was intently filling out paperwork on her computer which she failed to complete the night before, having been distracted by the day's odd events. The FBI Agent stopped at the chair that Demming had occupied a few moments earlier, and leaned on its back, bringing his face down to a level closer to Beckett's. "Detective Kate Beckett. I thought I just might find you here at this hour."

Kate's hands froze for a second over the keyboard. This cannot be happening to me, she thought. First Demming, now Sorenson. She then resumed typing the sentence she was working on and spoke as her fingers tapped on the keys. "What brings you down here to slum it with us locals, Sorenson?"

"Oh, I'd hardly consider paying a visit to the best and, might I say, most attractive Homicide Detective in the city slumming it," Sorenson said, and coolly slipped around the chair and sat.

Kate finished filling out the form she had been working on before being interrupted and pressed enter, electronically sending the form off for processing. She then turned in her rolling desk chair to face Sorenson dead in the eyes. It was barely even 7 a.m. and she was already in a foul mood.

"Let me put the question a little more directly. What do you call it when we work on that kidnapping case a few years back, date for while until I realize that you're the most self-centered guy on the planet, I break it off, you got into perpetual denial, and now that rumors are spreading around the precinct like wildfire that I might have a date to the annual charity ball with Richard Castle, you show up throwing your swagger all over the place? I call it hardly a coincidence, so don't even pretend that you're genuinely interested with me this morning."

"Alright, alright. I admit, I might have been a little jealous when I heard that you were considering going with that writer whose been shadowing you. And since you hadn't made up your mind yet, I just thought I'd stop by and let you know that, as luck would have it, I'm available that night too."

"What's that supposed to mean, luck? Lucky for who exactly?" Kate asked as sarcastically as she could.

Sorenson leaned in closer on the desk to Beckett's face and looked deep into her eyes. "For you of course," he answered, his voice low and smooth.

"Explain to me again why you're not married? Oh, I know. You both wouldn't be able to find a house to live in that's big enough to fit your ego."

Sorenson sat back in the chair and smiled widely. "You know I've always liked that about you, Kate. How that sharp tongue keeps people on their toes."

"Wow, I'm flattered. We work together for weeks, date for months, and the most memorable thing about me according to you is my tongue. What's not to like?"

Over Sorenson's shoulder, Kate noticed Castle arrive with a young, red-headed teenage girl at his side. For the first time since she and Castle had been working together, she actually was glad to see him and silently thanked fate for having him arrive when he did. His arrival provided the perfect opportunity for her to end her conversation with Sorenson. He too noticed Castle's arrival and understood that that was his cue to leave. He stood up, but made one last plea before leaving.

"Just think about it. Me in a tux and you in a fabulous dress dancing cheek to cheek."

Kate returned her eyes in a death glare to Sorenson.

"Let me know if you change your mind," he said, and winked at her, before turning and walking out.

Kate sat back in her chair and rubbed her eyes and wondered if there was a full moon tonight or if she had missed a news story about pigs flying or hell freezing over. What was with men and their egos and them having to make everything into a competition? Ugh! It's only another two weeks until the dance she reassured herself. And at least, if Castle somehow backs out or if Captain Montgomery and the ME change their minds, she's got a couple alternatives. Granted one was nothing more than a frat boy masquerading as a detective, and the other was on a never ending ego-trip.

"You OK, Detective?" Castle said as he and the teenage girl approached her desk.

"Yeah, sorry. Just a little early morning headache."

"Well, maybe this will help. Detective Kate Beckett, may I introduce my daughter, Alexis."

The teenager smiled warmly and extended her hand to Kate in a firm grip. "It's nice to meet you, Detective. Dad's told me a lot about you."

"Yes, and he's told me a lot about you too. It's nice to finally meet Castle's other half, so to speak. Um, forgive me for asking, but what brings you down here?"

"Uh, that's me," Detective Ryan answered from behind Kate. "I hope you don't mind Beckett, but Esposito and I really needed some help with a couple of our cases, so I got permission for Alexis here to help with cataloging evidence, going through old files, stuff like that." Ryan explained.

"And I needed some community service credits for school, so here I am," Alexis added. "I promise, unlike Dad, I won't get in the way."

"Hey! Didn't I tell you none of that while we're working together?" Castle protested.

Kate couldn't help but smile to herself at how well Castle's daughter obviously knew her father. "Not a problem guys. And if you finish up early, I think our unclaimed evidence storage room could use some organizing," she added.

"Great! Lead the way Detective Ryan," Alexis said enthusiastically and the two headed off to retrieve some large evidence boxes that had been pulled for them the day before. As they made their way down a long hallway away from Kate's desk, Alexis sensed that the coast was clear.

"That was easier than I thought" she observed with relief.

"Told ya there was nothing to it."

"I still feel bad though. I'm not used to lying to Dad."

"Alexis, believe me he will thank you for it IF he ever finds out. And you wouldn't feel nearly as bad if you had seen the spectacle I saw this morning."

"You mean they both showed up just like you thought?"

"Yep. Like clockwork. Both Demming and Sorenson laid the charm on pretty thick to try to get Beckett to drop Castle as her date for the ball. Speaking as a guy, it was pathetic. I was actually ashamed for my own sex."

Alexis giggled. "Wow. And I thought Dad's incessant flirting with women brought down the curve for you all."

"Oh, that pales in comparison to these two. There's obviously no level to which they won't stoop to get Beckett to go to the ball with them."

"Now you said that Detective Esposito told you for sure that Detective Demming has a plan to trip Dad up, but are you sure about Agent Sorenson?"

"Oh yeah," Ryan replied bluntly. "He had the same want in his eyes that Demming did. Only there was a lot more ego involved." Ryan made a face as if he had just been force fed a lemon to which Alexis giggled again. He recovered quickly though and continued. "Anyway, just keep an eye out for anything weird and if you spot anything, let me know or try to save your Dad yourself as inconspicuously as possible. That'll be the key and the hardest part – being discreet. Don't forget they all think I'm helping them."

"Believe me, Detective, saving Dad from himself without anyone knowing is my specialty."

Over the next three days, Kate began to wonder if a full moon had come to hover permanently over the 12th precinct building and especially over Castle. It seemed that wherever he went, accidents followed, accidents in which he was somehow able to avoid injury.

First, there was the beat cop who got a sudden and severe case of diarrhea after getting his coffee mug mixed up with Castle's in the break room. The poor guy ended up in the hospital for two days recovering from cramps and dehydration, then couldn't bring himself to even step foot in the precinct, where the smell of coffee always hung in the air like cigarette smoke in a bar, for another few days until the memory of his unfortunate experience had faded.

"If it took that little to freak him out, how on earth did he ever make it through the academy?" Castle wondered.

"Yeah. Just think how many lives that would save," Ryan mused. "Letting the bangers know not to bother with guns or knives anymore, just brew a pot of coffee." Even Beckett laughed at his comment, despite wondering why it didn't seem to amuse Esposito as much as everyone else.

The second occurrence took place when Castle and Alexis arrived for work as usual, only right before Castle took his regular seat in the armchair next to Beckett's desk, Alexis stopped him from sitting and dragged him away to make sure the size sticker had been removed from his dark blue jeans. Unfortunately, in the meantime, Captain Montgomery had taken a seat in the chair to review the status of Kate's open cases. He had no sooner pushed himself out of the chair and into a standing position when the frame gave way and the whole chair collapsed under his feet.

"Good grief," he exclaimed. "Can someone please check to make sure some kind of voodoo wizard isn't in lock up and didn't put a curse on this building in revenge?"

"Yeah, what next?" Castle asked. "An exploding espresso machine?"

His words were somewhat prophetic, because the next day he managed to escape not one, but two disasters.

He got up as usual and headed to the precinct by himself, since Alexis had spent the night at a friend's house closer to the precinct and planned on meeting him there. To his astonishment, an on-duty cab was parked at the curb near his building with a waiting driver. Castle hopped in and gave the driver his usual destination. He then promptly regretted doing so.

The cab driver was not only one of the worst drivers whose cab Castle had ever had the misfortune to ride in, but he also seemed to believe that Marvin the Martian was chasing him and was determined to blow up his cab with some kind of new-fangled death ray. About half-way to the precinct, and after Castle's stomach had done its third flip-flop and he was feeling the bagel he'd eaten for breakfast beginning to crawl back up his throat, he told the driver to pull over and that he would walk the rest of the way. This also proved to be a mistake, as a runaway hotdog stand on wheels nearly ran him over a block later. After sprinting worriedly the rest of the way to the precinct, Castle collapsed wide-eyed and sweating bullets in the now repaired armchair next to Beckett's desk.

"What's the matter, Castle?" Beckett asked teasingly. "Did one of your flings just file a paternity suit?"

Under normal circumstances Castle might have jabbed Kate back with an equally biting joke, but this morning, he was just glad to be sitting safely next to her desk with all his limbs intact. "No," he answered still trying to catch his breath. "You would not believe what I went through just to get here this morning. I couldn't even write something like that."

Beckett nodded and went back to her paperwork, while behind her, at his desk, Ryan exhaled deeply and quietly.

Meanwhile, both Demming and Sorenson were beside themselves with frustration that Castle had managed to evade their traps. There was no way that one guy, especially a lazy butt writer could be that lucky or smart enough to notice that danger was near and slip out of harm's way. Clearly, they had to step it up. The ball was now less than two weeks away and there was nothing stopping Castle and Beckett from going together. So, separately they each decided to take a different tack and approach the situation more directly.


	4. Chapter 4

Kiss Me, Detective – Chapter 4

Later that night Detective Demming waited for Castle outside the 12th precinct building. That young red headed girl hadn't come to work with him that day so that was one less person he had to worry about avoiding. When he finally saw Castle exit the building with Kate, and made sure that Kate was headed home to her apartment on foot in another direction, he approached Castle before he had the chance to hail a cab.

"Mr. Castle?"

"Yes? What can I do…wait, I know you from somewhere." Castle crinkled his forehead trying to recognize the familiar face standing before him.

"Detective Tom Demming. I'm a robbery detective at the 12th."

"Yes, of course. Well, what can I do for you? No, don't tell me – you want an autograph right? Hang on one second. I think I have a Sharpie here somewhere." Castle began eagerly patting down his coat and jeans pockets looking for the pen he always kept with him in the event that he encountered a fan.

"Uh, sorry, I'm not interested in an autograph." God, this guy was something else, Demming thought. Always carrying a Sharpie?

"Really?" Castle said somewhat dejectedly. "Then a camera phone picture maybe?" And he began reaching for his cell phone.

"Nope, sorry again." Demming said shaking his head.

"Not even a picture?" Castle pleaded, looking like a little lost school girl.

"Nope, sorry. But I'll tell you how you can help me and what I am interested in," Demming began.

"What's that?" Castle inquired.

"Being Beckett's date to the NYPD annual charity ball." Demming responded confidently.

Castle looked confused momentarily. He hadn't ever seen this guy hanging around the homicide division, so why the sudden interest in Beckett? It had to be jealousy, Castle reasoned. And that meant this guy was ripe for a little teasing.

"Well, you know she's going with me. Captain's orders."

"I've heard she's still on the fence about it."

"Is that right?"

"Yeah that's right."

"Well, I heard you hit on the daughter of one too many a superior officer at your last assignment and that's why you were sent to the 12th." Demming's confidence quickly evaporated into a scowl. "But I could be wrong," Castle added with a smirk. He had heard stories about Demming's party boy ways from Ryan and Esposito and was enjoying knocking him down a peg or two.

"I've heard you're so particular about women that you sleep with anything with a vagina," Demming shot back. "But I could be wrong."

"Oh yeah. I heard that one too. That's not even one of the better jokes. Still it's good for a chuckle at parties, I guess." Castle retorted. He had both heard and read almost all the rumors about himself that had been printed over the years, so hardly any criticism fazed him.

"Listen, Castle, it's obvious we both want to be Beckett's date to that dance. But the problem is gonna be calming her down some. You know, her short fuse, lack of patience. We need to…I don't know. What's the word…" Demming thought out loud.

"Tame her?" Castle guessed.

"Yeah. Tame her. I wouldn't want a scene to erupt between us when she and I are at the dance, so I was hoping, since you already kinda have a connection with her, that you could help me out?"

Castle couldn't believe what his ears were hearing. Did this guy have no shame? "You're serious? I mean the last time I checked this wasn't the 17th century where everyone wore tights and women's father's offered suitors a dowry to marry off their daughters."

"How about I make it worth your while then? Would a hundred bucks change your mind?" Demming pulled a hundred dollar bill out of his wallet and waved it in front of Castle's face.

"Aw, now you're really putting me on. I don't need your money to take Beckett out for a good time. I have more money that you'll ever see in your lifetime and certainly more than you'll ever earn working as a cop and hitting on officers' daughters."

Castle had a point, Demming conceded to himself. "Alright. Let's make it interesting then. How about a hundred dollars says you take her out before the dance and she has such a bad time that she refuses to go with you and comes crawling to me?"

What an interesting development this is, Castle thought to himself. He was also extremely confident that he could win this bet hands down. Nobody knew how to romance a woman like he did, he was certain. "Fine. I'll put a hundred down that says that I take her out, she has a great time, and we walk into that dance arm in arm."

"You're on," Demming agreed.

"Well, boys, why don't we make it a three-way?" A voice walking up behind the two men said.

"FBI Agent Will Sorenson," Sorenson announced proudly, as realization washed over Castle. "And you must be the famous writer Richard Castle," Sorenson said haughtily.

"Yes, I am," Castle answered. "Are you a fan?"

"No," Sorenson answered matter-of-factly. He was enjoying knocking Castle down a peg or two as much as Castle had enjoyed doing the same to Demming.

Castle cleared his throat quietly, attempting to recover the small part of his dignity that Sorenson had stomped on. "Well, nice to meet you. Say, are you the Sorenson everyone refers to as 'Swelled Head' Sorenson?"

"I hate that name," Sorenson growled, then remembered that a third person was observing the conversation. "And who are you?" Sorenson practically demanded.

"Detective Tom Demming," Demming introduced himself stiffly. Sorenson merely nodded in response. No hands were extended for shaking.

"Well, I just couldn't help but overhear you guys' conversation, and thought let's be honest with each other. I want to go with Kate to that dance too, so, being the sporting fellow that I am, I'm willing to bet a hundred that Katie doesn't want to go with either of you and ends up right back in my arms, where she belongs,"

"I'm game. Deal," Demming said.

"Seems we have a bet, gentlemen," Castle announced. "I will take Detective Beckett out this weekend and we'll see how much fun she has. I think we need rules though. No interference from either of you. We have to be sure her feelings are as natural and genuine as possible. I'll send you both text messages the following morning to let you know how it went."

"How do we know you'll tell the truth about how good or bad a time Kate had?"

"In my vast experience with women, I've found that regardless of whether or not they enjoy themselves on a date, women have a terrible time keeping it to themselves. So chances are, either Beckett will share with someone, or someone will drag it out of her." Castle theorized.

"I'll check with Esposito," Demming said.

"And I'll check with Tracy," Will said.

"Then it's agreed," Castle said. "May the best man win."

"I shall," said both Demming and Sorenson at the same time. They exchanged quizzical looks as Castle grinned widely. How pathetically predictable, Castle thought.

All three men nodded at each other and made their separate ways home for the night.

The next afternoon, as Castle and Beckett examined their latest case plotted out on the murder board, as was their habit, Castle made his move. Kate had been in a relatively upbeat mood. They had closed one case that morning, Ryan and Esposito were on their way to picking up a piece of evidence that would most likely clear another and they had a few leads in the case they were currently considering. This would most likely be his best opportunity to ask Beckett out, Castle figured.

"So, any big plans this weekend, Detective?" He asked trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"Not really. I was thinking of painting my bedroom, then maybe starting on a new book. Why?" She eyed him suspiciously.

"Well, I was just thinking Alexis has really enjoyed working with you and she and I were gonna go see the free Saturday night movie in Central Park tomorrow night. So, I thought you might be interested in joining us?" Kate looked skeptical of Castle's intentions, so he went on. "C'mon, my 16 year-old daughter will be there. How and why on earth would I try anything with her around? Plus, it'll give us a chance to hang out and get to know each other outside of work before going to the dance. And it's a free movie, so if you have a miserable time, at least it won't have cost you anything."

Kate had half-expected Castle to make an overture such as this at some point before the dance. And she couldn't deny that the prospect of spending time with him alone before being his date to the ball did send a few excited chills up her spine. Lanie had correctly sensed Beckett's buried attraction to Castle and their natural chemistry right from the get go, as much as Kate hated to admit it. And ever since the Captain had played matchmaker, she tried to be a little more tolerant of his personality and more forgiving of his foibles. To her surprise, this resulted in her actually looking forward to seeing him everyday. He was still immature and childish and did not take direction well, but she had discovered that he was also unpredictable, smart, and had a sensitive side, particularly around Alexis, that she hadn't noticed when it was just him at the precinct and when she was trying to ignore him. He helped her relax, kept her on her toes, made her look at cases from different and new angles and had so far proven himself to be an asset to her team. All these qualities only increased her attraction towards him and heightened the thrill of getting to know him better.

"What movie is playing?" Beckett asked with a slight glint in her eye, which remained fixed on the murder board.

"_Adam's Rib_," Castle answered, referring to the classic Hepburn and Tracy romantic comedy.

Kate's head turned towards Castle as soon as he spoke the title. "That's one of my favorites," she admitted.

"Then it's settled. I'll pack a picnic dinner and Alexis and I will swing by and pick you up at, say 6:30? This will give us plenty of time to get a good picnic spot, eat dinner, and relax before the movie starts at sunset."

"Uh, ok," Kate replied, still not entirely sure of what she was agreeing to, but at the same time feeling a tickle of electricity crawl up her spine at the prospect of doing something not related to police work with Castle.

"Kate, I'm not trying to pressure you or push you. I promise this is just a casual evening with friends in Central Park."

"Yeah. No, I'm sorry. It sounds like fun, Castle. Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow at 6:30."

"Good. Now, back to Mr. Boddy," Castle said and turned to reconsider the murder board. As Kate chuckled at Castle's macabre reference, he snuck a look at her out of the corner of his eye. She certainly was a beautiful woman, intelligent, strong, and she could match him wit for wit, which was what Castle realized he found most attractive about her. Maybe "taming" Kate, as Demming put it, wouldn't be so hard after all. And who knows – maybe they'd both even enjoy it.


	5. Chapter 5

Kiss Me, Detective – Chapter 5

The following day was Saturday and that evening Lanie Parrish cursed aloud while riding in the back of what seemed to be the slowest moving cab on the planet. To make things worse, a last minute arrival at the morgue had nearly derailed her plans for the night altogether. Fortunately, one of her colleagues owed her a favor, and agreed to do the autopsy, leaving Lanie to finish the official report on the body she had spent all afternoon examining. Why was it, she thought, of all the days in the year, people always chose to kick the bucket in wild and crazy ways on the same day when she had plans?

When the cab finally pulled up alongside the curb outside a posh, but cozy restaurant Lanie had never been to before, she hurriedly paid the cabbie and walked inside. Her stomach twisted further when she saw her date, Officer Robert Hughes had already arrived.

"I am so sorry, Captain. I'll never know why every criminal in the city picks the one evening that I have plans to go on their murderous rampages," Lanie lamented, slightly breathless.

"No apologies, Doctor. I was running a little behind myself, so I called ahead and pushed back our reservation. Fortunately, they're not booked solid tonight, so luck is with both of us," Robert explained with a warm smile. "And, please. Call me Robert."

"Alright then, Robert. And you, can call me Lanie."

Robert nodded kindly, his smile having shrunk to a grin, but still remained just as welcoming. "I must say you look stunning tonight."

Lanie blushed slightly and finally began to relax. She was nervous about wearing her new short fire engine red dress with the short sleeves that she had gotten from Express a week ago. It was the first time in a long time that she had worn that color and she didn't know if she should risk committing a fashion faux pas on a first date. Ultimately, she decided to throw caution to the wind, mainly because she loved how good the dress looked on her and how she felt while wearing it. "Thank you, Robert. That's quite a compliment coming from someone who's only ever seen me in scrubs."

"Oh, I've noticed you wearing other things besides scrubs. And you always look stunning, but tonight…you look especially…"

"Stunning?" Lanie sensed that Robert was tripping over the words and tried to help him.

"No. Beautiful." He finally finished.

Lanie looked deep into his eyes for the first time and felt her heart flutter. This could not possibly be a man guilty of abusing his ex-wife and mistreating his female colleagues, Lanie's gut told her. But she was determined to find out for sure before the night was over. That was one reason she had agreed to this date unbeknownst to Beckett and everyone else at the station.

The maître 'd came over to let them know that their table was ready. Robert offered Lanie his arm and they headed into the dining room. Robert's gentlemanly ways did not stop at the restaurant's foyer, Lanie discovered. Before sitting himself, he pulled her chair out for her, then ordered a nice bottle of wine for the two of them from Lanie's favorite vineyard. He was attentive, curious about her work, patient, and polite, not to mention funny and charming. After about half an hour of small talk about the city, the police department, the weather and the local news, Lanie decided to get things out in the open right after they ordered.

"Robert, I've been avoiding asking you this all night because it really isn't any of my business, but if I'm gonna go to the NYPD ball with you, I need to know…"

"What really happened with my ex-wife and at my last job, right?" Robert interrupted.

Lanie was briefly embarrassed at prying into her date's personal business on their first date. She could also tell that he was used to being asked the same question. "I'm sorry. Feel free to tell me to buzz off if you want. It's just that, I've seen too many dead bodies to go into any relationship with my eyes closed. And you seem like a really stand-up guy, who I might add is quite handsome, so I'd like to know who exactly I'm dealing with here. I hope you understand."

Robert, smiled and chuckled to himself at Lanie's compliment, then shifted forward in his seat and leaned a little closer to Lanie over the table. "No apologies, Lanie, really. I completely understand. Don't forget every day I see up close what happens when relationships go bad, so your question doesn't bother me at all. I admire you're frankness, to be truthful. A lot of women would be afraid to ask me for the truth. And speaking of the truth, here it is."

Lanie sat forward in her chair as well and settled in to hear Robert's story for as long as it took.

"My ex-wife and I met in high school. She was a great gal then. Vice President of the student government, field hockey player, straight A student, the works. And funny, oh my God. She could make a block of ice laugh. We dated through high school and into college. That was when the pressure of being an overachieving student athlete got to be too much for her. She developed bipolar disorder and I switched schools to be closer to her to help through it. She was the first love of my life and there was no way I was gonna let her slip away from me if I could do anything to help her. As long as she took her medicine and kept in touch with her counselor whenever she felt like she needed to, she was fine. We both graduated, got engaged and married. I joined the police department and everything was great for a while. Then I got bumped up to commanding a SWAT Team and one day one of our take downs didn't go quite as planned. A bullet grazed my neck right under my jaw bone."

Lanie now noticed a faint, long scar on the right side of Robert's neck by the hinge of his jaw.

"It was hardly anything really and I was back to work in a day or two, but I think it hit too close to home for her. All her old fears about losing everything she ever cared about and having to do things on her own if anything happened to me came back. She went off her meds, stopped calling her therapist and shut me out when I told her I wasn't quitting the department. I loved what I did. Still do. There's nothing like putting on a uniform and going out and catching bad guys. It makes me feel like Superman."

Both laughed at the comparison and Lanie saw how Robert's eyes lit up when he talked about what he did for a living. It had been a long time since she had seen that kind of love for a career in a date's eyes.

"Anyway, I guess she felt like I was running away from her or didn't care about her anymore. One day I came home from work early to surprise her and found her in bed with a neighbor. After the guy left, she threatened to kill herself. I called my friends in the department and they came and took her to the hospital. When I went to see her the next day before work, a nurse told me she didn't want to see me. And when I got home that night, I found she had started divorce proceedings. That was tough. I had put so much into that relationship, cared so much about her, and then it was gone. By the time it was over, she had spread all kind of rumors about me none of which were true: that I abused her, that I hated women, all of it. The whole time I tried to stay professional at work and not let it bother me. I had a few close friends who initially didn't believe any of it. Then one day, I admit I lost it on a female member of my team. The woman seemed to enjoy creating conflict where there was none and we all knew it, but I let it get to me one day. I yelled at her a little too loud and cornered her in the locker room after she second guessed a command decision in front of my whole team that I had made earlier. I swear to you, Lanie, I never touched her. But she made a complaint and the next thing I know Internal Affairs was ordering me to get some counseling. I finished the required number of sessions right around the time the divorce was finalized, so I decided to come east and start over. A Major got in touch with someone he knew in the NYPD, who told him they needed SWAT Team members, but not commanders. I wanted to leave everything behind me so much that, even though it wasn't a lateral move, I took the job. And here I am."

Lanie was amazed. Even though a little voice in her head said he could still be lying, Lanie's female intuition told her that everything he had said was true. She had seen such an array of emotion pass through his eyes – happiness, sadness, pain, playfulness, regret – as he spoke, that she knew he couldn't be that good of an actor. Furthermore, he seemed to have come out on the other side of a very difficult experience with a great sense of optimism, hope, and without bitterness. This was one remarkable and strong man, Lanie thought.

"Wow. Where do I begin, Robert? I guess, first, I should apologize for even passing judgment on you just a little bit before getting your side of the story. And, not to make light of it, that is one humdinger of a story." Robert smiled the same boyish smile as when Lanie called him handsome earlier in the evening. Then Lanie looked deep into his eyes and went on. "But what I find the most amazing about it, is your attitude now. You don't seem bitter or flippant or sad about it at all. It's like this is what happened to me, I can't change the fact that it happened, so let me just move on, learn from it, and live life."

"That's exactly what I've tried to do, Lanie and thank you. You of all people should know that life is too short to quibble over bumps in the road of life. You just gotta find your way over them and then go on. But don't me wrong, I do have my moments. There's a reason I'm the one who kicks the door in when we move in on a suspect."

"I don't begrudge you that all, believe me," Lanie reassured smiling and laughing quietly.

Then it was Robert's turn to look deep into Lanie's eyes. "You have the most awesome smile. And that laugh…" Robert stumbled just as he had when Lanie first walked into the restaurant. "Thank you so much for agreeing to go out with me, despite what you heard about my reputation," he said when he had recovered himself.

"Thank you for the invitation, Robert. I gotta say you are the nicest, sweetest man I've been out with in a long time," Lanie said.

Robert reached across the table, took Lanie's right hand in his left, and slowly brought it to his lips. Lanie blushed deeply and they both smiled brightly as their waiter sat their entrees on the table and refilled their wine glasses.


	6. Chapter 6

Kiss Me, Detective – Chapter 6

Right around the same time that Lanie and Robert were having dinner, Castle and Alexis arrived at Kate's apartment to pick her up for their picnic and a movie. The cab ride from Kate's apartment to Central Park was much more relaxing than Kate thought it would be. Watching Castle interact with his daughter, who was infinitely more mature and responsible, but equally as intelligent as he, was entertainment enough. The way they playfully teased each other, talked with each other about almost any subject and weren't afraid to be affectionate in front of a relative stranger was wonderfully refreshing for Kate. It was also a welcome change from the stressful, overly competitive, and testosterone-charged environment of the precinct. Before she knew it, Kate had joined Alexis in ganging up on Castle more than once. And the twinkle she saw in his eye told her that he didn't mind one bit.

They arrived at the park, and found the perfect spot under some trees and only yards away from the billboard onto which the movie would be projected. After the blanket was spread, Castle began unloading the food: cheese and crackers, grapes, an apple and a turkey sandwich for each of them, oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies for dessert and a choice of water or ginger ale to drink. As they ate, they talked about Alexis's plans for after high school, much to her father's chagrin. She said had always contemplated law school, but since she had really enjoyed her experience at the precinct, she had changed her mind and wanted to take more science classes and maybe a forensics class in hopes of maybe working towards being a crime scene technician. Kate offered to talk to Lanie about a possible internship in the Medical Examiner's office for next summer, in response to which Alexis squealed in excitement. For a second, Castle thought his daughter would throw her arms Kate's neck, but she seemed to catch herself and hold back so as not to make Kate uncomfortable. Ironically, Kate felt more comfortable and relaxed than she had in a long time.

When Alexis's squeal aroused the attention of one of her school friends and, after eating her dinner, she headed off to socialize, Castle reached in a small compartment of the picnic basket and pulled out a small bottle of champagne and filled two flutes halfway with the golden sparkling liquid.

"Castle, I thought this was supposed to be a no pressure, relaxing outing?" Kate protested as she reluctantly took her flute.

"It is. Nothing relaxes like a little champagne after dinner," Castle answered. Kate still looked unsure of his intentions, so he sought to reassure her. "You're right. You don't have to drink it if you don't want to," he said and Kate could see a slightly downcast look cross his face.

"Well, on the other hand, since it's already poured…why not." She said and took a gulp.

"Oh, that's good stuff," Kate observed.

"You think so? I picked out the shirt especially for tonight, but the jeans are new…" Castle gestured to the light blue button down shirt and dark blue jeans he was wearing. He then noticed how Kate was eyeing him skeptically. "Oh, you mean the champagne! Sorry. It is good, isn't it?"

Kate tried hard to stifle a smile, but when Castle took another drink from his glass and grinned that devilishly handsome grin that Kate so enjoyed seeing, she couldn't help herself. She even chuckled a little.

"You are something else, Castle," she said.

"So are you," Castle answered sincerely.

Several seconds passed before Kate could tear her eyes away from Castle's. What was that, she thought to herself. No way. She could not let something serious develop with this man. He's not serious about women and he's shadowing you at work, her brain continued. After Kate broke up with FBI Agent Sorenson, she had vowed never to get personal with someone she worked with. She had seen too many times in too many murder cases how badly that kind of a relationship could end. She resolved to enjoy the rest of the night, go to the dance with him, and let it end there.

Alexis returned and announced that she had bumped into an old school friend who had moved to Europe with whom she wanted to catch up. The girl had also invited her to spend the night with her family. When Castle teased her about ditching them, Alexis apologized profusely and explained that her old friend would only be in town for a few days and that she didn't want to waste the opportunity to see her and catch up. Castle agreed to the change in plans and Alexis hugged and kissed him, bade Kate goodnight and hurried off to tell her friend.

"She's a really great kid, Castle. Sometimes I can't hardly believe she's your daughter," Kate teased when Alexis was out of earshot, and took another drink of her champagne.

"Believe me, I wonder myself sometimes," Castle said. "She's the only one in my household who's got a legitimate chance at growing up to be a respectable adult."

Beckett laughed at Castle's display of self-deprecating humor. That was another thing she had come to notice about him in the last few days. He never took himself too seriously that he couldn't admit that he had made mistakes in his life.

"It's gonna be tough when she goes away to college in a couple years," Castle mused in a serious tone. He dropped his eyes to the blanket on which he and Kate sat and flicked a piece of grass back onto the lawn in front of them. His eyes had a misty, faraway look to them that Kate had never noticed before. For the first time since they had met several months ago, the wealthy, charming, world-renowned womanizer Richard Castle looked completely vulnerable and lost.

Kate found herself actually hurting for him, since she was all too familiar with how it felt to lose a family member. She tried to find some words to comfort him, even contemplated putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder or just taking one of his hands in hers, but her rational mind stepped in and stopped her. Then the camera that would project the film onto the billboard in front of them was turned on, creating a large white glowing rectangle on the billboard. People across the lawn began situating themselves for the movie. The activity brought Castle back from his reverie and he quickly downed the remaining champagne in his glass. He turned to Kate, who quickly finished what was left of her champagne, his normal carefree face having returned, took her glass, and secured both back in the picnic basket.

As Kate folded her legs beneath her Indian-style and settled in for the movie, she thought about how her impression of the man now sitting next to her had suddenly changed. Clearly, there were more layers to him than she had originally thought and he wasn't nearly as easy to understand as he made others think he was. For a second, she resented him for this and then she realized that she wasn't much different. She was worse even. She'd been hurt so badly so long ago that she made it impossible for practically anyone to really get to know her except for her closest friends and colleagues. Maybe being Little Miss Tough Girl wasn't the answer, Kate wondered. Maybe she didn't always have to be in Mission Mode. Maybe she could finally start taking down the walls she had built around her heart.

Castle, meanwhile, was surprised at himself. He knew that to win Kate for himself for the dance, he'd have to show his vulnerable side, but he hadn't expected to get quite as teary eyed over Alexis's going off to college and leaving him as he did. While his comment to Kate about her being something else was partially just a flirt and partially his expressing a genuine feeling, his worries about Alexis's leaving were no act. Even more surprising, Castle found that he didn't mind showing his sensitive to Kate. Something about her brought it out of him without making him uncomfortable. Most times the women he dated only wanted to see his charming, witty, daring and flirtatious sides, leaving no time for getting serious. But showing those sides of his personality didn't work on Kate. They bounced right off her hard exterior like a baseball off an outfield wall. Castle guessed that's what happens when you're a woman in a man's field – you get hit on a lot and get bored with the same old come-ons. Castle glanced over at Kate sitting watching the film intently, laughing along with it unpretentiously and thought she had to be one of the most fascinating women he had ever met.

When the movie ended, Alexis texted her Dad and Kate good night and Kate helped Castle gather up his things. He had been a perfect gentleman throughout the movie, as he had promised, though she did catch him studying her out of the corner of her eye a couple times. Not studying her in a lewd way though, but rather in an almost protective, admiring one that sent tingles up her spine. As they waded through the crowd searching for a cab, Castle heard Kate's stomach growl, to her great mortification. She tried to cover it up, but the crowd had them pressed near enough to each other that he couldn't help but hear it. When they both were settled in a cab with the picnic basket secured on the seat between them, Castle suggested that they make a pit stop at a Ben and Jerry's near her apartment that he noticed when he came to pick her up. Kate agreed and Castle amended their destination for the cab driver. About half an hour later, they were both laughing over sundaes as if they had known each other for years. But there was one thing about Kate that intrigued Castle enough to make the urge to ask her about it impossible to resist.

"Well, you know all about my family. Tell me about yours. For instance, why do you wear your Dad's watch?"

Kate's face slowly fell to the point where Castle knew he had touched a nerve. Never seeing her Mom again. The unsolved murder. Years of trying to solve it herself. Counseling. Pain. Frustration. Loss. A hole that can never be filled. Very few people knew the true reason she became a cop, not just to seek justice for victims, but to give others the justice her family was denied. Do I tell him or not, Kate debated with herself. This is Castle. How could she be sure he would keep her story to himself and not make it fodder for his next book or blab it to some journalist? Then again, he had shown her his vulnerable side earlier in the evening so why not show hers to him?

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean…" He stammered.

"No, it's Ok," Kate heard herself say. "You didn't know. My mom was murdered Castle, when I was in college. Dad and I were supposed to meet her for dinner, but she never showed. When we got home, a detective was waiting for us and told us that her body had been found in an alley stabbed multiple times. Her purse was still with her as well as her jewelry, so it wasn't a robbery. Actually, nobody ever figured out what the motive was because they never caught the person who did it. They just assumed it was some kind of gang hit and moved on to other things while I had to save my Dad from drowning himself in alcohol. He's sober now, by the way. When I joined the force, I tried to solve the case myself, but doing so almost ruined my life. To this day, the hardest thing I ever did was put that file into cold case storage and walk away. It's still unsolved. And the S.O.B. who killed her is still out there. So the watch is for the parent the saved, and this," Kate said as she pulled a plain, silver necklace out from under her blouse, "is for the parent I lost."

Castle was blown away by Kate's story. It was the last thing he had expected to hear, but made perfect sense, knowing her as he did. She had become tough because she had to be, and not only to make it through the academy, but to get past a personal tragedy that would have undone almost anyone else.

"Wow, Kate, I…I don't know what to say other than I'm sorry. I won't pretend to know what it's like to experience the pain you've felt, but if that ever happened to Alexis, I know they'd have to commit me. I definitely couldn't handle it as well as you have."

"It looks a lot easier than it actually is, Castle," Kate said quietly, exhaled a long breath and began tracing patterns in her melted vanilla ice cream using her spoon and some remaining chocolate sauce.

"I know. But that doesn't make the fact that you put it aside and somehow moved on any less extraordinary."

Sensing his eyes boring into her, Kate looked up at Castle from her bowl.

"I mean it. You are an extraordinary woman. Maybe the most extraordinary woman I've ever met."

Kate smiled and blushed slightly at the compliment despite herself. "Thanks. You're not so bad yourself."

Castle smiled back and checked his watch. "Whoa! Where did the time go? We'd better head out and get you home."

He stood and gathered up the trash left from their sundaes. When he returned to the table from disposing of their garbage, Beckett was standing waiting for him and holding the picnic basket. He very smoothly took it from her, offered her his free arm, and they headed in the direction of Kate's building.

While walking, Castle took what he knew to be a risk and asked another question that had been eating at him a bit. "I'm sorry to bring it up again, but have you ever considered taking another crack at your Mom's case? I know people and could probably help…"

For a second, Kate's eyes flashed with anger, then she calmed herself down. "No I haven't Castle," she said in an even, but stern tone. "And if you really want to help, if you really respect our new found friendship, then you'll either not touch it at all, or, if you do, you won't tell me under any circumstances save when you've got the horse's ass who is responsible for killing her in custody and you know it's him beyond a shadow of a doubt." Kate didn't look Castle in the eye, but he knew she was drop-dead serious.

"I promise," he said and they walked the rest of the short way to her building in silence. It only took another few minutes to reach the front entrance of her building. He waited while Kate located her keys in her purse.

"Well, Castle, thank you for inviting me tonight. I had a…a really, really good time. Great, in fact. The best I've had in a long time."

Kate felt herself getting more and more nervous as she spoke, and felt her heart beat louder and faster with each passing moment. She couldn't believe she actually wanted to spend more time with Castle, or to at least hug him. Maybe more. No, she stopped herself. That was an impossibility. Just say goodnight and go inside. But the evening's events had opened her eyes so widely to such an attractive side of him, that her irrational brain was quickly overruling her rational one. Not wanting to walk away, she only stood there, rooted to the spot, searching his eyes for a clue as how he felt. After what felt like an eternity, albeit a blissful one, he finally spoke.

"You're welcome, Kate. And thank you for coming. I had a great time too. This was…well…" Castle couldn't believe himself – he was speechless. And had he called her Kate? Where did that come from? But she didn't seem to mind. In fact, he definitely sensed that she did not want the night to end, but he knew that trying to push her further might only drive her away. And he had promised to be a gentleman. But it was more than keeping his promise. He truly, genuinely did not want to hurt her. Only in the last several hours had he come to respect her that much. So rather than finish his sentence, he took a careful step closer to her. She didn't recoil or back off, but rather straightened up further in obvious anticipation of what she knew was coming. He leaned down slowly, and kissed her right cheek tenderly, lingering near her a moment or two longer than he probably should have to inhale her scent.

"Goodnight, Kate. See you tomorrow," he said quietly after having backed off.

"Goodnight, Castle. Thanks again," Kate responded. Even though it was only a kiss on her cheek, she felt it was the perfect end to the evening. And it took her breath away.

She turned and headed into her building. When she had successfully unlocked the front door, she turned back to him and gave a little wave before disappearing inside.

Castle practically bounced around the corner and back in the direction of his building. He had had one of the most amazing nights out with a woman than he had had in a long time and he could hardly wait to take Kate, all decked out in a gorgeous formal dress, to the ball next week. Then the ball reminded him of his bet with Demming and Sorenson. He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to scroll through the numbers on his cell phone and locate their numbers. Once he had them plugged into the TO field of his message, he typed out the following:

_Beckett's words were re tonite: "really, really good time, great, best I've had in a long time." You both are toast. B-)_

He hit send and continued on his way home.


	7. Chapter 7

Kiss Me, Detective – Chapter 7

First thing Monday morning, Lanie summoned Kate to the morgue to pass on some findings she had made on one of Kate's cases. The detective had no sooner stepped through the swinging double doors of the morgue, when Lanie noticed that something was different.

"Is it me or are you glowing this morning?"

"What do you mean?" Kate asked trying to sound nonchalant.

Lanie eyed Kate directly. "Oh, don't play that game with me, honey. Judging by the extra spring in your step and by the way you're trying to stifle an ear-to-ear smile, I'd say somebody got lucky this weekend."

Slowly, Kate's face lit up and she beamed and blushed deeply. "Alright, alright. You got me. I did have a date this weekend."

"Well, that makes two of us." Kate's eyes perked up at Lanie's revelation, but the medical examiner cut her off before she could probe deeper. "I'll tell you about mine, if you tell me about yours first. So who's the lucky man?"

"You won't believe it, but…it was Castle."

"What? Oh, honey you finally came to your senses about that man! Didn't I tell you?" It was Lanie's turn to beam at her friend.

"Well, at first I didn't know what to think when he asked me, but he said that Alexis would join us, so I figured he wouldn't try anything. And seeing them together…the way they talk and just enjoy each other's company and share things…it was really sweet. HE was really sweet all night. Even when Alexis left to hang out with her friends. We had a picnic and saw a movie in Central Park then got ice cream and he was a perfect gentleman the whole time, but also charming and funny. I felt so comfortable with him. The whole night was just really awesome." Kate explained. She felt as giddy as a teenager after her first slow dance. "I even told him about Mom."

"And how did he take that news?"

"He was great about it. Really great. It didn't seem to bother him at all. I'm afraid I came down a little hard on him though when he asked if I had ever thought about reopening the case now that some time has passed."

"What exactly did you say?"

"I told him that he had two options – either he could take another look at it provided he told me _nothing_ until an arrest is made or he didn't touch it at all. That was it."

Lanie's eyes penetrated deep into Kate. "You sure you're OK with that?"

"Yeah, I am. For some reason, I just feel like I can trust him," Kate said confidently, to which Lanie nodded her understanding.

"At the risk of sounding patronizing, I'm proud of you, girl."

"Alright now, it's your turn Dr. Parrish," Kate asked, not forgetting Lanie's promise from earlier. "Spill it."

"Fair enough," Lanie said and blushed herself as she recounted her date with Robert and his version of events that lead him to move to New York. Kate looked dubious throughout the whole story. "You gotta believe me," Lanie reassured. 'He could not have been sweeter or more sincere and furthermore my gut tells me that everything he said was true."

Kate continued eyeing her friend skeptically, so Lanie went on. "Listen, I may work with dead people all day, but have you ever known my instincts to be wrong with the living?"

"Well, there was that minor league baseball player…" Kate teased.

"That doesn't count. Not even his agent knew he was 'batting switch hitter', so to speak." The two women chuckled at the recollection of the time Lanie tried to set Kate up with an athlete who turned out to be bi-sexual.

"You gotta trust me on this one, Kate. Officer Hughes is a keeper. And, I might add, a pretty darn good kisser." Lanie said in a hushed voice as she leaned in closer to Kate. "And I was right about you and Castle wasn't I?"

"Yes, you were right about me and Castle! Good grief are you gonna hold that over me for the rest of my life?" Kate blurted out.

"Only until your first anniversary," Lanie teased. When both women had stopped laughing, she straightened up. "So I guess we both have our dates for the big charity ball."

"I guess so," Kate admitted and blushed slightly one more time.

Castle then breezed through the doors and bade both Kate and Lanie good morning. His eyes, warm and playful, lingered on Kate's for a minute longer than usual and as he stood in front of Lanie's exam table, his left shoulder brushed up against Kate's right. Lanie expected him to step away, and when he didn't, she saw Kate's cheeks grow flushed briefly. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, tried unsuccessfully to hide a grin, blinked twice, then put her game face back on and turned her attention back to Lanie, who finally began reporting her findings to the two.

The next four days played out much the same way. Castle would flirt subtly with Kate and bring her coffee each morning. Kate would steal teasing looks at Castle while occasionally buying Castle lunch and making extra sure each day that her hair and makeup were done before arriving at the precinct. Both were having so much fun that Castle began to forget about his bet with Demming and Sorenson and Kate about the fact that Montgomery had ordered her to go to the ball with Castle. They each began to sense that they had found something that could work beyond a professional partnership.

Then on Thursday night, as Castle returned to the precinct with a pizza for himself, Beckett, Ryan and Esposito to share as they worked, he pulled Kate aside into a secluded hallway with some difficult news.

"Remember how you told me that if I wanted to look into your Mom's case, I could do so on the understanding that I didn't tell you anything until we were on the verge of making an arrest?"

Kate's face instantly fell and all the color ran out of her cheeks. Tingles shot through her body and all her nerves stood on end as her heart began to pound in her chest. She had been waiting, and dreading, this moment for ten agonizing years and now that it had arrived, she wasn't sure she could handle it.

Castle didn't wait for Kate to answer his question. "While I was out, I got a call from a private investigator friend of mine who I asked to look into the case. He thinks he's found the killer."


	8. Chapter 8

Kiss Me, Detective – Chapter 8

Kate looked like she might faint, or at least lose her balance. So Castle reached out and touched her arm gently but firmly.

"They haven't caught him yet?" Beckett asked shakily.

"No. This guy's a real bad apple. So much so that my friend thinks that SWAT should be involved in taking him down. As it happens, he has a friend who's a SWAT TEAM commander. They're putting a team together as we speak." Castle explained.

Kate backed up and leaned against the wall behind her, trying to catch her breath and process everything Castle had just told her. It had been ten years since she and her father had come home and a homicide detective had met them at their door, sealing the direction of Kate's life until now. She had been just a normal girl from a privileged, loving family. And in one night, all her hopes and dreams for her future had been rendered insignificant. She hadn't felt whole as a person since. At least not until the night she spent alone with Castle in Central Park.

As she contemplated all this, what had yet to be done, and saw the grave concern on Castle's face, she quickly found new energy and focus. She stood tall on her feet, set her jaw, and unwrinkled her forehead. The color returned to her cheeks.

"What's the plan?"

"Simple. Take him down tomorrow at his apartment when he gets home from work. You won't have to do a thing, but be a spectator," Robert Hughes' deep voice boomed from the top of the corridor. Lanie was close behind him.

"That and worry myself sick," Kate replied bluntly. "This isn't just another take down for me."

"I know, Detective," Robert tried reassuring Kate. "Believe me, I know what it's like to have to start over and rebuild your life from what seems like nothing."

Kate nodded knowingly as Robert continued. "But from what I've heard from other guys on the force, you've more than earned this for yourself. You deserve it just like all the families of all the victims you've been able to bring justice to. It's your turn now."

Kate now knew what Lanie meant about Robert being a man you could trust. Her detective instincts went on alert as soon as he had appeared in the hallway, and to her pleasant surprise, no red flags were raised as he spoke. He seemed to have successfully put his own past behind him while carrying forward little or no ill-will or bitterness. While physically he was a hulk of man, his eyes radiated warmth and calm and he spoke with gentle conviction.

Kate was touched. "Thanks, Officer Hughes. And it's Kate. Call me Kate."

"Of course," Robert agreed warmly. "If you'll call me Robert."

"Deal."

After Lanie hugged Kate and Robert shook hands all around, the two left. Captain Montgomery then sent told Castle and Kate that Ryan and Esposito had agreed to finish up both the pizza and the work for the night, so they were free to go home and rest in preparation for the next day's dramatic events. Both thanked him, said goodnight to Ryan and Esposito, and shared a cab ride to their respective homes.

The next day was uneventful leading up to the planned take down. Captain Montgomery had gotten the SWAT Team commander to give him a walkie-talkie so Kate and Castle could listen in on his reports from the scene. Quietly all three gathered in Montgomery's office around the appointed hour, 4p.m. Ryan and Esposito slowly drifted in and out as their work allowed.

Everyone listened intently as the commander lead Hughes and his colleagues to the scene. As soon as they arrived though, they discovered that the suspect hadn't gone to work, but had stayed home all that day to barricade himself in his unit. The team quickly and as quietly as possible evacuated the building and then went in. As soon as they bashed in the front door, shots were fired. Their suspect not only knew they were coming somehow, but had also amassed a small arsenal and had protected himself with a bullet proof vest. While he was obviously very adept at eluding suspicion in the case of Kate's mother's murder, he was not so clever at fighting his way out of his own apartment when faced with a fully armed SWAT Team. He barricaded himself in his bedroom, from which there was only one exit, determined to kill the entire team or die trying. After half an hour or so of playing cat-and-mouse, the team had had enough. They threw a tear gas pellet into the bedroom and charged in. Unfortunately, the suspect was still able to aim one last shot directly at the commander, hitting him square in the middle of his vest. Before he could fire another round, a bullet to his forehead ended the battle.

As Kate struggled to absorb all that had just happened, Castle's cell phone rang and he stepped outside Montgomery's office to answer it. Kate couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved that the man who had killed her mother could ruin no more lives by killing again. She sat forward in her chair, rested her elbows on her knees, and held her head in her hands. She breathed deeply and silently sent her mother a message: we got him. You can rest now.

Unfortunately, Kate's peace was short-lived. Castle stepped back in the office and revealed that his private investigator friend had just discovered, through a contact of his in the U.S. Marshall's Service, that the now dead suspect was well known internationally as an expert contract killer. It was a good bet that Kate's mother's murder was not a random act of violence.

Kate's eyes looked lost. They searched around Montgomery's office as the eyes of a mother who had just lost her child might search a playground. She couldn't focus on anything. She couldn't even find the strength to stand up. It felt like the walls of the room were closing in around her while Montgomery and Castle stood by and did nothing. When Montgomery stood up from his desk to try to comfort Kate and Castle took a step closer to her to do the same, she raised a stiff arm to stop them. She closed her eyes tight and tried to breath.

Kate felt a hand land on her shoulder and opened her eyes. Castle now knelt on the floor next to the chair where she sat and studied her visage with concerned, penetrating eyes. Montgomery pulled a second chair closer to Kate's and sat across from her.

"I'm sorry, Kate," he choked out.

A solitary tear spilled over one of Kate's eyelids and began making its way down her cheek, eventually falling off her cheek and landing on her leg, leaving a small dark spot on her dress slacks. It had happened just as she feared. No sooner had she come agonizingly close to cracking her mother's case, than the resolution had been snatched away from her again. Would all the years of pain, fear, sadness, and doubt ever end, she wondered. How could she possibly suffer any more? She couldn't. And she wouldn't if there was anything she could do to prevent it.

Castle noticed that a fiery look had replaced the lost, defeated look that had adorned Kate's face just minutes earlier. He was nervous about speaking to her, but still wanted to be sure she was alright.

"Kate?" When she didn't answer, he pressed a little further. "What can I do? Just name it."

Castle's voice brought Kate back from empty place to which she had retreated, albeit briefly. It was like someone had thrown her a life-preserver to hold onto while she struggled through raging waters. While one side of her brain wanted to take him up on his offer and let him comfort her, a louder voice begged for solitude. She rose out of the chair slowly and stiffly and Castle and Montgomery rose with her.

"Thanks guys, really. But I need to be alone." Montgomery nodded his approval and flashed a smile he hoped Kate would find reassuring. Castle stepped aside to let Kate exit the office. She reached her desk and began gathering her things as Ryan and Esposito stood nearby, looking equally as concerned as Castle and Montgomery had. Kate told them good night and headed for the elevator. As she waited for the doors to open, Castle came up behind her and touched her arm.

"Call me if you need anything. A night out, a long talk, a handkerchief, anything."

Kate wanted desperately to just go home and be alone, but she also didn't want to hurt Castle's feelings. "Thanks, Castle," she said sincerely. "I will." And with that she stepped on the now open elevator doors and descended to the street outside.


	9. Chapter 9

Kiss Me, Detective – Chapter 9

Not long after Kate left the precinct, Castle left to head home himself as Montgomery had allowed. But before he could catch a cab outside, he felt someone could up close behind him.

Castle greeted Kate's ex-boyfriend smirking assuredly. "Ah, Special Agent Sorenson. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Just thought I'd check in to see how things were going with you and Kate," Sorenson began.

"Well, you saw my text didn't you? It went really well. In fact, this past week has been…really excellent," Castle described. He suddenly knew exactly what was behind Sorenson's appearance that night and realized that he didn't like where it was likely to lead. "I'm really looking forward to going to the dance with her, and possibly taking the relationship a step further afterward."

It had been a long time since Castle could remember speaking about a woman with such seriousness. However, his comments didn't seem to rattle the arrogant FBI Agent at all.

"Is that so?" Sorenson challenged.

Castle looked him directly in the eye. "Yes. It is. In fact, the bet's off. I'll pay you and Demming back double if you want, but I'm done. I don't want this being about money anymore. And the vibe I'm getting from Kate is that she wants to go with me anyway."

"Really?" Sorenson disputed. He felt completely incredulous that Kate would pick anyone over him, least of all this writer with a reputation for throwing over women as fast he changed his shorts.

A cab pulled up alongside the curb near where Castle was standing and as Castle climbed in, Sorenson took one last shot. "We'll see about that, Writer Boy."

"Yes we will," Castle shot back. "Night Swelled Head."

Sorenson stood on the curb fuming to himself. Nobody does this to me, he thought. I never lose when it comes to women, and I'm certainly not gonna lose to this pampered, immature, hanger-on who's only concern with law enforcement is how it can help him get richer. One way or another, he would be the one taking Kate to that ball.

"Problem, Sorenson?" A voice said from behind him. It was Demming.

"Yeah, actually. Writer Boy wants to call off the bet. Says he doesn't want it to be about money and he's convinced that Kate wants to go with him," Sorenson explained.

"That so?" Demming said, trying to hide the worry in his voice. "What do you think we should do about it?"

Sorenson thought hard, but couldn't come up with a solid plan at the moment. "Don't know. But I think we may need to step things up a bit."

"Works for me," Demming agreed. "Wait, what's this 'we' talk? Why should I help you any when I want Kate to go to the dance with me?"

"Would you rather she go with _him_?"

"No. Of course not."

"Me neither. So let's put our heads together and may the best man win," Sorenson proposed.

Demming nodded in agreement and both men went their separate ways for the night.

Hours later and blocks away, Castle had changed into sweats and was sitting in his office having monumental difficulty writing. All he could think about was Kate and the look on her face when she realized that the best opportunity she had come across in solving her mother's murder in years had slipped away. She looked like a helpless little girl in need of comforting. And he wanted nothing more than to be the one comforting her. The night they had spent at Central Park watching the movie and having ice cream afterward was incredible, he remembered. It felt so right. He had felt more alive and energized than he had in years. He didn't want to consider the possibility that he would never have that feeling again with Kate.

As he gazed out the window of his office, he heard a low rumbling come from the corner of his desk. He turned around in his swivel chair and saw that his cell phone was slowly migrating across the desk. Without a thought in his head, he snatched it up and punched send.

"Castle?" Kate's voice inquired on the other end. She sounded emotionally spent, but stronger and steadier that the last time he had seen her at the precinct.

"Kate!" Castle exclaimed. "How are you? Are you OK?"

"I'm better, Castle. Thanks. After all, you can only cry and brood for so long."

Castle exhaled heavily and found himself at a loss for words. He wanted to reach through the phone and hug Kate somehow. Tell her it would be alright. Something. Just hearing her lovely voice wasn't enough.

"Castle, I wanted to thank you for being there for me earlier tonight. And for giving me space. It was all just what I needed."

"It was the least I could do, given that I was the one who dredged the memory of your mom's death up again and threw it back in your face." Castle kicked himself mentally. He really should have just left well enough alone. Kate, on the other hand, was touched by Castle's criticism of himself.

"Castle, you shouldn't blame yourself. The fact that you even cared enough to try is more than enough. The few guys that I tell about Mom end up running furiously in the other direction because they can't handle the drama. It was just really sweet that you tried."

Even though he was alone in his office, Castle beamed. "I do what I can."

A long minute passed between them without either saying a word, and yet neither found the silence uncomfortable.

"So does your invitation to get together this weekend if I need company still stand?" Beckett asked hopefully.

Castle's heart skipped a beat. "Of course. What did you have in mind?"

The next afternoon found Kate waiting for Castle outside a large storefront whose window read Bullseye Laser Tag. As he rounded the corner and read the sign, Castle's eyes lit up as Kate expected they would.

"Laser tag, huh? Don't you know how to show a guy a good time!"

"Oh, c'mon Castle. You're not afraid of getting physical are you?" Kate asked with a flirtatious glint in her eye.

Twenty minutes later, they separately charged off into the darkness of the indoor laser tag course decked out in electronic target vests and hunting for each other with laser guns at the ready. For the next hour they exchanged shots, captured and relinquished each other's home base, tried to find creative places to hide from each other, and generally enjoyed aiming at the targets mounted on each other's shoulders and in between their shoulder blades. Before they knew it, their first session ended with Kate beating Castle handily. The lights came up and they rendezvoused towards the middle of the course. A thin sheen of sweat covered both their faces, both had rolled up their sleeves above the elbows and were breathing slightly heavily.

"Don't get cocky, Detective. I've got your number," Castle threatened playfully.

"Prepare for defeat, Big Shot," Kate retorted, the sexy glint still in her eye, making her all the more enticing and Castle all the more excited.

"That's exactly what you're gonna need to win this round," Castle spat back.

They both went to their respective corners and when the lights dimmed again, took off into the maze of bridges, niches, and flashing lights. About halfway through the session, Castle was on the verge of tying Kate's score and thought he had her cornered in a part of the maze where he suspected he'd be able to hit her, but from which she'd have difficulty returning fire. She was hiding in a vertically narrow alcove under the foot bridge upon which he stood and he was sure she was unaware of his location right above her. Rather than try to fire directly down on her, which would most likely scare her off into another crook, Castle decided to use surprise to gain the upper hand. He looked over the side of the bridge and could see the bright lights on her vest reflecting softly off the black walls of the alcove. He judged the distance to the floor, switched the hold of his gun into his left hand, took firm hold of the rail with his right, squatted slightly and in one fluid motion swung himself over the side and landed firmly about a foot in front of Beckett. Before she could react, he fired a shot and scored a direct hit at the target on her chest. She made to sneak under his outstretched arms and escape, but he quickly stepped forward and blocked her way out of the nook.

"Not so fast, Detective," he said huskily. "You're mine now."

Maybe it was the darkness of the course. Maybe it was the occasional flashing lights and strobes that reminded them of summer fireworks. Maybe it was the warm air in the maze that had dampened their clothes with sweat and made the alcove feel stiflingly hot. Maybe it was the adrenaline that flowed freely through their veins filling every part of both of their bodies with delicious electricity. Or maybe it was the pent up desire to be close to each other that kept their bodies dangerously close and cried out to be answered. Neither knew and neither cared.

Castle leaned in close to Beckett, and let his lips hover inches over top of hers. He moved his hands from the walls on either side of the alcove entrance to the wall behind Kate, placing one hand on either side of her, trapping her right in front of him. She let go of her gun and slowly raised her arms around his neck, guiding his mouth to hers.

Their lips met gently and softly at first. When Castle felt Kate's tongue creep into his mouth, he quickened his pace, sucking and licking her bottom lip furiously. His hands reached around her back and underneath her electronic vest where her blouse was soaked through with sweat. He caressed her back, running the fingers on one hand through her hair up to the nape of her neck and the other hand down to her waist just above her posterior. Castle's heart was beating so fast he thought it would pop out of his chest. And the fact that Kate was doused with perspiration and still smelled like cherries and vanilla, drove him even more wild. Every time he tried to catch his breath and opened his eyes, the sight of her near him, the feel of her hands around him, and her intoxicating scent all conspired to take his breath away all over again.

Kate had her arms locked around Castle's neck and rose up on her toes to maximize her closeness to his body, the electronic vest both wore serving as little impediment. She ran her hands through his thick brown hair and her mouth all over his cheek, his jaw and his ear, nipping at him with wild abandon. She lowered her hands and massaged his hips, lower back, and butt cheeks before reaching under both his vest and his shirt to knead his chest. She wanted to feel all of him, to cover herself with the smell of his cologne, and to lose herself in the feeling of having him pressed up against her. She let herself go to allow his being to wash over her so she could experience him totally.

A dam had broken and rather than fight against the mad, onrushing current as they had for months, they let themselves be carried away. For first time in their lives, neither had any fear about which direction the swirling tide would take them.


	10. Chapter 10

Kiss Me, Detective – Chapter 10

A couple hours after and only several blocks away from where Castle and Kate had their magical moment, Esposito walked into a bar that was a favorite hangout of cops and law enforcement in the city. Robbery Detective Tom Demming was waiting for him. After beers were ordered and small talk about work was traded, Demming reminded Esposito of the reason they were there.

"This whole thing with you and Castle, man? Count me out. I'm not helping you submarine him anymore." the Homicide Detective began.

"What are you talkin' about, man? You're telling me you seriously don't think Kate should go with me and that she should go with Castle?" Demming demanded.

"Look, Tom, you're my boy and under any other circumstances I've got your back, but not this time," Esposito explained. "Those two are crazy about each other and all this trouble you're going to trying to keep them apart is a waste of time. Even if you did get Kate to go with you, she and Castle would find some way to be together eventually. They were shooting goo-goo eyes at each other all this past week ever since their date in Central Park, and when the operation to take out the low-life who killed Kate's mom went bad, you should have seen the look on Castle's face. He looked just as lost as Kate. Trust me, man. They've got it bad for each other. Give it up."

Demming said nothing in response, just glared into his beer stein. He hated losing. All his life he'd been the object of every girl's affection, until Kate came along. She was the one woman on whom none of his lines and toothy smiles seemed to have any effect. He wanted her badly and it was driving him crazy that he couldn't have her.

Esposito finished his beer and clapped his old friend on the back. "C'mon, dude. There are lots of fish in the sea. You're a good lookin' guy. It's only a matter of time 'til you find someone." He pulled a five dollar bill from his wallet and plunked it down on the bar, and told Demming he was headed home. Demming grumbled a goodbye and look a long swig of his own beer. Then, as if by divine intervention, an idea came to him for how to make sure that Kate ended up at the dance with him. He pulled his cell phone out of his suit coat's inside pocket and dialed Sorenson.

An hour later found Esposito relaxing in his own apartment groaning to himself over the current score of the New York Knick's game. As a commercial interrupted the action, his cell phone rang. He hustled over to his small kitchen and picked it up.

"Detective Esposito, so sorry to call you so late and on a weekend," Tracy Chen smoothly greeted him.

"Not a problem at all, Ms. Prosecutor. It's nice to hear your voice," he said slightly suggestively.

"Ah, you say that now, but just wait until I have you sworn in sitting in a witness chair," Tracy flirted back.

"Hey, you can badger me anytime," Esposito returned.

Tracy laughed heartily, "Duly noted," then got serious. "The reason I'm calling is to ask you for two favors. First, you need to somehow rein in your old friend Demming."

Esposito was concerned. He knew that what he'd told Demming earlier was not what he wanted to hear, but he never thought he'd go off the deep end. "What do you mean?"

"Apparently, he and his little federal friend FBI Agent Sorenson are scheming to keep Castle and Beckett from going to the dance together. Sorenson was just here with me in my office meeting me about a case, when he got a call from Demming. After he hung up, he had a look on his face that told me he was up to no good. But I couldn't get him to divulge any details other than that the call was about the dance."

Esposito's stomach churned as he listened to Tracy's story and he mentally congratulated himself for getting out of their immature plotting when he did. He went on to tell Tracy about their interlude earlier that evening, how he had told Demming that he was on his own with his plans, how thought Castle and Beckett belonged together, and how Demming had reacted.

"I've been telling Sorenson the same thing, but it just seems to bounce off that thick skull of his," Tracy said, exhaling heavily. "Any thoughts on how we can undo their evil plot? The dance is tomorrow, so none of us have a lot of time.

"Well, Castle said a few days ago that he has a lunch meeting with his publisher tomorrow. Maybe Ryan and I should tail him, just in case. Oh," Esposito blurted out, another idea having struck him. "I know someone else who I think would be only too glad to help us out."

"That person would be?"

"Just leave it to me," Esposito said confidently. "So what's the other favor you need?"

Tracy's eyes lit up in a playful glint. "It seems that one of my cases had a change of heart and decided to plead out, leaving my schedule wide open for tomorrow night. Do you by any chance have plans for tomorrow night, Detective?" Tracy inquired coyly.

"I do now. Pick you up at 7?"

The next day Castle's alarm went off, waking him up from one of the most fulfilling sleeps he had experienced in years. After he and Kate had pried themselves apart to finish their laser tag session, they had gone for burgers at Remy's. For four hours they ate, talked, made playful insinuations at each other, played footsie, and fed each other the occasional French fry, before holding hands on the walk home. While he craved her company in his bed all that night, he knew that pushing her would most likely make things uncomfortable for her at the dance. The new dynamic in their relationship was working just fine now that he had learned to just sit back and let things happen, rather than try to force them. And he wanted everything to be perfect for the ball. So he walked Kate to her front door where they agreed that he would pick her up for the dance at 7. Imagining her in a long, form-fitting gown on his arm for the night sent shock waves through his body. To relieve some of the tension, he kissed her a long and ardent kiss before releasing her for the night.

When he arrived at his own place, he immediately headed for his office and wrote all night. His mind bubbled over in a creative frenzy that he hadn't experienced since he wrote his first book. The words poured out of his fingers and onto the keys of his laptop, like they had been padlocked away in a deep chamber of his brain to which he had just discovered the key. He finished his most recent book that featured his new character based on Kate, an NYPD Homicide Detective named Nikki Heat, as the sun began peeking over the tops of the skyscrapers that dotted New York City's skyline. He burned the file to a CD, placed the CD carefully in a jewel case, and the jewel case underneath his wallet, so he wouldn't forget it. He then headed for his bedroom to get at least a few hours of sleep. Remembering the feel of Kate's lips on his and her hands around his waist, he slept soundly until noon when his alarm clock rudely reminded him of his lunch engagement with his publisher.

He rose and quickly showered, shaved, and dressed. As he passed through the kitchen and grabbed his wallet and the CD, he caught sight of Alexis studying at the kitchen table.

"Afternoon, Dad."

Castle kissed his daughter on the top of the head. "Good afternoon and good-bye, honey."

Alexis eyed her father, concerned. "Dad, are you sure you're OK? I mean, I thought you were gonna oversleep and miss your meeting. And were you up all night? I woke up around 4 to go to the bathroom and saw that the light in your office was still on."

Castle smiled broadly. "Yes, I was up all night, but don't worry, I was productive – I finished the next Nikki Heat book. And to answer your final question my daughter, yes. For the first time in a long time, I can honestly say that I feel great."

"Wow. You'll have to fill me in on all the details when you get back. Like would this have anything to do with a certain NYPD Detective you're escorting to the dance tonight?" Alexis probed.

"That would be another yes, it does and I wish I could tell you, but I've gotta go or I'm gonna be late." He made his way towards the front door to his loft.

"Well, just watch out for potholes and don't stay out too late! The dance is tonight!" Alexis called as Castle slipped out the door.

"Will do!" Castle yelled back and pulled the door closed behind him. He paused in the hallway and thought for a second. Did she just say what I think she said? Potholes? He shrugged it off and headed for the elevator.

An hour and a half later, Castle finished his meeting with his publisher, who was pleased beyond belief when he handed over the CD with his latest book saved on it. Sitting in the bar all alone, Castle slumped back in his chair. He felt wonderfully free, like he always did when he finished a book, only this time there was an optimistic dimension to the feeling. Life no longer revolved around looking out for his family and trying to get from one book to the next, but now it also involved making Kate happy. Every day that he awoke knowing he had her in his life felt like Christmas Day – full of new fun and discoveries to be had. And the dance tonight was just the beginning.

As Castle rose from the bar table he had occupied, he noticed Demming and Sorenson entering the bar. Both of them hailed him and, upon hearing that he had just handed in a new book, invited him to have a celebratory beer with them.

"C'mon Castle. What's the harm in having just _one_?" Sorenson egged him on.

But Castle persisted. "I don't know guys. The last the thing I'd want to do is to show up to the dance half-blitzed. I mean, how embarrassing would be? Show up to the Annual NYPD Charity Ball drunk?"

"Look Castle, I promise just _one_. C'mon. It's on me," Demming offered.

"Yeah. How often do you think us run-of-the-mill cops get to buy a famous and successful murder mystery writer a drink?" Sorenson put in. He had a feeling that Castle was on the verge of caving and figured that stroking his ego would put him over the edge.

"Well, when you put it that way, gentlemen," Castle conceded, "how can I refuse? "

"Good. Bartender, beers all around," Demming called. "But nothing too stiff for our friend Castle, here. He's got an important engagement tonight that we'd _hate_ to have him miss." Demming slapped Castle on the back and smirked at Sorenson. Easy as pie, they both thought.


	11. Chapter 11

Kiss Me, Detective – Chapter 11

As Castle, Demming, and Sorenson celebrated in the bar of the restaurant, Ryan and Esposito sat in an unmarked squad car across the street, keeping an eye on the threesome through a street front window.

"Man, is he wasted," Ryan said, concerned. "Beckett is not so not gonna be happy when he shows up to the dance and can't even pronounce her name."

Esposito tried to allay his partner's fears. "Don't worry, bro. It's all gonna work out. Trust me."

"How do you figure that?"

Esposito shook him off again. "Just don't worry about it. Let's focus on how we're gonna fix both Swelled Head and Demming's tails."

"Ok. Well, their car's right over there," Ryan gestured towards a four-door sedan similar in color and make to theirs and that was parked about half way down the block and across the street from the restaurant.

"What're you thinkin'?" Esposito inquired.

"Just follow my lead." Ryan answered.

The two exited their car and made their way towards their twin nemesis' car. As they stood over it, considering their options, Esposito noticed two garment bags hanging from clips over the back seat. Both were emblazoned with the logo of Jack Silver Formal Wear and had a tag hanging from each bag, one reading "Demming" and the other reading "Sorenson."

Esposito's face broke out into a wicked grin. "I got an idea too."

Three hours after they had joined Castle at the bar, Demming and Sorenson helped a very drunk Castle out the front door of the restaurant, each with an arm around his shoulders to keep him on his feet.

"Awwright, guys," Castle slurred. "I gotta wun. I gotta go get a dress…err…I gotta go pickup a bawl for Bickitt. Whoops!" The guys let go of Castle and he weaved dramatically on his feet, trying to hail a cab. "I mean a Bickitt for the bawl…A Beckle…A Bick…She's great isn't she?"

"Yeah, she is, big boy," Demming said, grabbing ahold of Castle again to keep him from falling in the street.

Sorenson joined in. "Hey man, you know what? I think maybe we should drive you home. C'mon, our car's right over there." He took hold of one of Castle's arms as Demming again wrapped his arm around Castle's shoulders. The three hobbled over to the car and Demming and Sorenson sat Castle across the back seat, making careful not to knock down the garment bags that contained each man's tuxedo for the dance. With Demming in the front passenger seat, Sorenson took the wheel and started the car in the direction of Castle's apartment. By the time they arrived half an hour later, no thanks to traffic, Castle had passed out cold.

Their plan had worked to perfection. Now all that was left to do was to make it to the dance and be the first man there to comfort Kate when news reached her of Castle's arrest for public intoxication. Laughing to themselves, Demming and Sorenson lifted Castle off the back seat of the car and irreverently deposited him in a flower bed on the side of his building.

Then Sorenson quickly jumped back in the car, started it up, and took off cackling with Demming's tuxedo still hanging in the back, before the shocked robbery detective realized what was happening. Cursing the FBI Agent, Demming used his badge to hail a cab and ordered it to follow every move Sorenson's car made.

The ballroom that night was beautiful. Small waist high tables each with a plain, but elegant candelabra in the center surrounded the large dance floor which was overseen by a full jazz orchestra. Waiters in full formal wear carried small trays dotted with flutes of champagne, glasses of wine, and bottles of beer between groups of intermingling dignitaries, guests, and police officers, some in Class A dress uniform and some in tuxedos or suits. Other staff carried larger trays filled with delicate finger-sized appetizers or decadent bite-sized desserts. However, despite the laughter, conversation, and general frivolity, Kate Beckett, stunningly dressed in a long deep purple colored sleeveless gown with hair in loose curls hanging freely over her well-toned shoulders, sat drumming her fingers both angrily and nervously on a table a fair distance away from the dance floor. A flute of champagne sat in front of her, barely touched.

Kate watched her friends enjoy themselves: Ryan and his long-time girlfriend Jenny dancing closely, Esposito and Tracy Chen chatting near the bar with Lanie and Robert Hughes. During a lull in what seemed to Kate to be a rather animated conversation, Lanie took notice of her best friend's solitude and made her way slowly through the crowd to Kate's side. The others joined her one by one.

"It's almost 8 o'clock," Kate grumbled. "Exactly how long can a lunch time meeting with your publisher take?"

"I don't know, honey. It's still early," Lanie tried. "I mean this thing goes until midnight. He's got plenty of time to get here if he got held up."

"She's right," Ryan agreed. "I know for a fact Castle said he'd be here, so he's probably just stuck in traffic or something."

Esposito nodded. "Yeah, I'll bet he's on his way here right now, all spiffy in his tuxedo, bouquet of flowers in his hand."

"It's not that he's late, guys," Kate disputed looking around at the group, which now included Captain Montgomery and Medical Examiner Dr. Briscoe. Her bottom lip trembled slightly and her voice shook with each word she spoke. "It's that…I didn't want anything to go wrong tonight. The past couple weeks have been so great…almost perfect, in fact, that I…" Kate looked down at her hands, unable to articulate what she was thinking.

"You didn't want it to end?" Captain Montgomery guessed.

Kate shook her head and bit her bottom lip. Lanie wrapped an arm around Kate's shoulders and gave a little squeeze as the band began playing _Unforgettable_.

"Great," Kate complained. "Just what I needed right now – to hear my favorite song."

"Well, let's not waste it then," Captain Montgomery said and extended his hand invitingly to Kate. "May I have this dance, Detective?"

The warm, paternal smile came back to the Captain's face and Kate couldn't resist accepting his invitation. She stood, smiling slightly, and accompanied her boss to the center of the dance floor. Not long after, Ryan and Jenny, Lanie and Robert, and Esposito and Tracy all joined them.

After the instrumental section of the song, a strange new voice took up the singing. It was a much deeper alto voice, almost a baritone, as compared to that of the female lead singer of the band. As the song reached its crescendo, the singer revealed himself on the band stand, dressed in a simple, but perfectly cut tuxedo and bow tie, and carrying a bouquet of red roses in one hand and the microphone in his other. He slowly and smoothly made his way directly over to where Kate stood in the middle of the floor, dumbfounded. The crowd of dancers had parted slightly leaving Kate and her suitor alone in the spotlight. Esposito and Ryan heaved sighs of relief, while the others smiled brightly.

Castle had finally arrived, completely sober.


	12. Chapter 12

Kiss Me, Detective – Chapter 12

Kate stood in the middle of the dance floor facing Castle with a hard and confused look on her face. She wanted to both hug him and strangle him at the same time, but the crowd of gawkers made her hold back. Finally, the band leader came to her rescue and announced that the band would take a short break, causing the crowd to slowly fall away. Kate's friends, however, all stayed within earshot to hear what would surely be a very interesting story.

Kate took a step closer to Castle. "Where the hell have you been? And what happened to picking me up at 7?" She growled.

"He can explain," Ryan, Esposito, and Tracy all said at the same time.

"I can explain," Castle added.

"Well someone had better!" Kate was losing patience rapidly.

"Al right, alright," Castle reassured. "Your ex Sorenson and that Robbery Detective Demming both wanted to be the one who took you to the dance tonight, so they tried to get me stone cold drunk after my meeting with my publisher, then dump my unconscious body outside so that it would be found by the police and I'd spend the night sobering up in a holding cell."

Kate looked skeptical until Ryan came to Castle's aid. "It's true. Esposito and I tailed Castle all the way to his meeting and watched from a squad car across the street. The two seemed really intent on buying him drinks."

"And the night before Tracy here called me and told me something was up with Demming," Esposito added. Tracy then described Sorenson's phone call and his odd demeanor during their meeting a few nights ago.

Kate was taken aback by her colleagues' concern for Castle, and by extension, her, since she was his date. "That's really nice of you guys to watch out for him, but" Kate turned away from her partners back towards Castle, "how is it that you're not drunk?"

"Simple," Castle replied grinning. "Alexis tipped me off that something was afoot. She and I have a code word that she's supposed to use if ever she knows for a fact that someone is out to get me. She'll say 'watch out for potholes' which she said to me on my way out the door earlier today. I thought about it, and called the owner of the restaurant I was headed to. He's a big fan, so whenever I need a quiet place for a lunch meeting, he sets me up, so I figured he wouldn't mind helping me out today. I asked him to switch out the alcoholic beer with the non-alcoholic just in case I was tempted to drink a little too much. It'd protect me in case someone was out to get me, and if not, I could enjoy myself and still arrive on time and sober to take you to the dance. But when Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dummer showed up and insisted on buying me bottle after bottle, I remembered Alexis' warning and figured that it wasn't just for congratulatory purposes like they claimed. I went with it to see what would happen and sure enough, they dumped me right outside my own building. Some investigators they are. First, they fail to notice the difference between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer, then they toss me right outside my own building, so it takes me less than half an hour to suit up."

Kate's eyes sparkled at Castle's ingenuity and at the fact that he'd gone to so much trouble to be at his best for her. But when a final lingering question hit her, the sparkle quickly evaporated. "I'm impressed Castle, really, but that still doesn't explain why you were late. You promised you'd pick me up at 7. I thought you'd stood me up!"

"I have no other course other than to plead guilty and beg your forgiveness. You see, I ran out of time to buy you these." Castle handed Kate the bouquet of roses. "Turns out it was a lot harder to find a flower shop that's open at 7 on a Sunday night than I thought." Kate took the flowers and with slightly swimming eyes, stared back at Castle.

"I'm very sorry for being late and making you think that I'd forgotten about tonight," he pleaded genuinely. "I could never forget about tonight, I just wanted everything to be perfect for us, but especially for you."

Kate' heart thawed as soon as Castle finished his apology. "I'm sorry too, Castle, for doubting you. I guess I've still got some trust issues to work on, especially with men."

Castle nodded sincerely. "It's Ok. I guess it comes difficult given what you do for a living. I just hope that you'll give me the opportunity to prove that, at least, you _can_ trust me." They both stood and stared at each other for what seemed to their friends like an eternity.

"Oh, for God's sake would you two just hug or something and get it over with!" Lanie said, exasperated. "Honestly, it like we're dealing with two teenagers here."

Castle and Kate blushed and chuckled at Lanie's own special brand of honesty and directness. Castle then raised his arms slightly, and Kate walked towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a warm hug. After nearly a minute of holding each other, Castle raised his head slightly and whispered in Kate's ear.

"By the way, I've never seen a woman look more beautiful than you do tonight." He gave her a little extra squeeze to emphasize his point.

Kate lifted her head and responded huskily, "You look quite handsome yourself."

Castle's eyes widened playfully and he fixed them on Kate's. "Would you say ruggedly handsome?"

Kate leaned in, her mouth dangerously close to Castle's, and murmured even more seductively "More like devilishly handsome."

"Ooh, I like the sound of that," Castle breathed and tilted his head towards Kate, no longer able to resist the pull of her lips.

"Castle!" Demming and Sorenson both shouted, interrupting Kate and Castle's intimate moment. They approached the pair, walking awkwardly, and dressed in extremely ill-fitting tuxedos: the sleeves of Demming's jacket were a full four inches too short on his arms and the cuffs of his pants barely touched his ankles, whereas the legs of Sorenson's pants dragged behind him on the floor and the arms of his jacket reached his fingertips. The crowd of guests in the ballroom parted like the Red Sea for the two, while everywhere fingers pointed and laughs sounded.

"What the hell do you two think you're doing?" Sorenson demanded. Ryan and Esposito made a bee line for the comical-looking pair, but Demming cut them off.

"Back off, Esposito. This is between him and us."

"Save it boys," Tracy said. "She knows the whole story about your plan to get Castle drunk to keep him from going to the dance with Kate. We all know it."

"We all also know about your plan to submarine Castle with the laxative in his coffee, loosening the bolts on the chair next to Beckett's desk, and by putting him in the cab driven by the World's Worst Cab Driver," Esposito chimed in.

"That was you guys?" Both Castle and Kate asked simultaneously. The sheepish looks that came across Demming and Sorenson's faces were all the confirmation they needed.

"What about the runaway hot dog stand?" Castle asked.

"That was just luck," Demming said. "By the way, how did you miss all that stuff anyway?"

Ryan smiled. "Let's just say Castle's daughter Alexis wasn't working at the precinct just to help us with our scut work on cases." Castle shot Ryan an impressed look, then grinned widely back at Demming and Sorenson.

"I'm sorry guys, but I gotta ask," Castle giggled, "what happened to your suits?"

Demming's face flushed. "One of the stupid staff people at the tuxedo shop must've mixed them up. This one was in the bag with my name on it, but it's clearly meant for him. And on top of that, I had to chase him down in a cab after he left me stranded by taking off in his car with what I thought was my suit in the back."

Sorenson's face tightened. "Speaking of my car, by the time I got home and got into what _I_ thought was _my_ suit, all the air had somehow leaked out of the tires."

The others were too busy trying to stifle vigorous laughter to notice Esposito slap Ryan some skin.

"Now that all that is settled, to answer your original question, I am enjoying myself immensely with my date for the evening," Castle proclaimed and took one of Kate's hands in his. To his surprise and glee, she accepted his hand just as firmly. "So, if you will excuse us…" Castle and Kate began walking away.

"Do you all also know about the bet the three of us made?" Sorenson asked. Castle froze on the spot as Kate turned and gave Sorenson a puzzled, hard look.

"What's he talking about?" she inquired.

"Castle, here, went in with both of us on a bet to see who could get you to go with them tonight." Sorenson answered smugly.

Castle's heart, which only several minutes earlier had been pounding high in his chest, sank into his feet. He looked at Kate, who in turn looked at Demming for confirmation.

Demming nodded in agreement with Sorenson, and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. "It's true, Kate. Here's the proof." He punched a key or two, then handed Kate the phone on whose screen was displayed Castle's text message from the night of their date in Central Park:

_Beckett's words were re tonite: "really, really good time, great, best I've had in a long time." You both are toast. B-)_

As she stared at the small electronic device in her now quivering hand, a tear leaked out of the side of one of Kate's eyes.

"I think it's time you guys left," Esposito spat out and firmly grabbed one of Demming's arms as Ryan took hold of Sorenson. They quickly and roughly ushered the two out of the ballroom, with Lanie, Robert, Jenny, and Tracy trailing in their wake.

Castle tried to speak to Kate, but she abruptly turned on her heel and marched over to a wet bar, where she slammed Demming's cell phone into a trash can along with the bouquet of flowers she was still clutching. Castle hadn't followed Kate, figuring it was better to give her to her space. He expected her to return to him and somehow assault him savagely and was surprised when she began making her way through the crowd towards the ballroom's exit. While he doubted that she'd forgive him, he knew if he didn't try to speak to her before she left, he stood a good chance of having her shut him out for good. He waded through the crowd and was able to touch her arm. She froze in mid-step.

"Kate, I'm sorry," he began. "Profoundly sorry. Terribly sorry. Yes, I joined in on their stupid little bet, I'm not gonna deny that. And I admit, at first, I just wanted to beat those two guys and rub their noses in the fact that I was going with you tonight, but after you told me about your mother, after the failed arrest of her killer, and after we played laser tag, everything changed. I wanted to go with you because I've come to admire you not just as a cop or as a woman, but as a person, a truly extraordinary person who was knocked down and somehow found the courage to get back up again and channel her energy into something positive. I know I don't deserve to be forgiven. Far from it. But for what it's worth, I just wanted you to know that I've fallen for you. No games. No fooling. I am honestly in love with you."

Kate listened to Castle's plea trying not to betray anymore emotion than she had already. She could feel the tears backing up in her eyes, but fought the need to shed them with what seemed like every ounce of energy she had. "Did you just say 'honestly' Castle? How do I know that you're being honest about any of what you just said? It figures that just as I feel that I can trust someone, especially a guy, that same guy takes that trust and stomps on it. And you want me to forgive you?" Kate's eyes and nostrils flared and suddenly Castle knew what it felt like to be one of her suspects in the interrogation room at the precinct. "Do me a favor, OK Castle? Don't bother showing up to the precinct anymore because regardless of the fact that you're friends with the Mayor or that you have a contract to write however many books, regardless of how you say you feel about or how I might feel about you, I can't trust you anymore. And I refuse to work with someone I can't trust." As Kate spoke her final few words, another tear began its slow trek down her cheek. She turned around and exited the ballroom, leaving Castle standing alone with dozens of his former colleagues staring at him.

Kate collected her purse and was outside the building within five minutes. When she reached the parking lot, she stopped in her tracks, remembering that she didn't have her own ride home, having carpooled with Lanie and Robert. She scanned the parking lot eager to find one of them and even more eager to get home and curl up by herself in the solitude and quiet of her apartment. She finally saw Lanie, Esposito, Ryan and their respective dates standing in a semi-circle around Demming and Sorenson. She could hear muffled shouts and recognized from the men's body language that the talk was anything but friendly. She walked directly over to the gathering, her eyes blazing, and stopped in front of Demming and Sorenson.

After a few moments of dead silence, Demming took a step forward. "I know you're upset now, Kate, but don't blame yourself. It's easy to get confused when a famous rich guy like Castle shows some interest in you. I just wanted you to know that I'm here if you need comforting." Demming flashed a smarmy grin that led Kate to believe that his idea of comforting didn't involve letting her cry on his shoulder.

Kate took a step closer to him and looked directly into his eyes, playing him like a fiddle. "Demming, do me a favor and shove it." With that, she brought her knee sharply up into his crotch taking him completely by surprise. The girls all stifled laughter while the guys at first winced slightly then smiled proudly. Demming dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes, and writhed gently back and forth on the pavement. "Are you two ready?" Kate addressed Lanie and Robert. Both nodded through giggles and walked with Kate back to their car.

"Such a shame when that happens," Sorenson said smugly to Tracy, ignoring Demming. "How long do you think I should give Kate before asking if she wants to get back together?"

Tracy looked at the FBI Agent in disbelief. She moved closer to him, just as Kate had, and smacked him hard across the cheek with her palm. When he merely blinked, she followed Kate's example, and swiftly kneed him in his crotch. All now looked with pity upon the cocky FBI Agent who knelt on all fours on the parking lot, pathetically clutching his groin.

Esposito leaned over the two emasculated men. "By the way guys, it wasn't the tuxedo shop that mixed up you guys' suits."

Both Demming and Sorenson strained themselves to look at Esposito, yet it was Ryan who continued. "Power locks are funny things, guys. You really should learn how to pick them just in case…well…you just never know when that special knowledge will come in handy."

Tracy took Esposito's arm, Jenny took Ryan's and all four headed home, leaving Demming and Sorenson whimpering on the hard asphalt.


	13. Chapter 13

Kiss Me, Detective – Chapter 13

Castle took Kate's advice and steered clear of the precinct for the next two weeks though he desperately wanted to talk to or at least see her. But he knew it was impossible. He'd most likely lost her forever. His heart ached when he thought of what had happened and of the look on Kate's face when Demming had showed her the text message on his cell phone. One part of him kicked himself repeatedly for ever having agreed to go to the ball with Kate in the first place and setting off the resultant chain of events, but another part of him didn't regret it one bit because while she did end up hurt, she'd made him happier than he'd been in years for those precious few days. Every night, as he tried to sleep, the expression that it was better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all played repeatedly in his head.

One night, he was flipping through some old publicity photos his agent had found buried in the closet of a recently deceased photographer that were to be posted on Castle's Facebook page and revamped website. They were of old appearances he had made at charitable events, photo-ops with the Mayor and other VIPs, and book signings he had done across the country. He had nearly reached the end of the stack, when he noticed something, or someone, in a picture taken several years before at a bookstore in New York City. It was taken from over Castle's shoulder, as he signed book after book for star-struck fans. Several people back from the front of the line was Kate, holding tight to one of Castle's books, her hair cut short and colored a darker color. Her eyes looked nervous, but also excited. Castle held the picture in front of him and studied her face for a long time, thinking of what might have been.

At the same time, in another part of town, Kate sat on her couch in her apartment, with crime scene photos from one of her open cases spread out across her coffee table. This was a case she was having trouble cracking. Three weeks prior, she would have put it all away until the morning and just asked for Castle's input, but that was out of the question now. She could no longer trust him, which meant his input on any subject was worthless to her. She reclined back against the arm of her couch and exhaled heavily, frustrated at the roadblock she faced. She looked towards her kitchen and decided to get a glass of wine which she hoped would reduce some of the tension she felt in her neck.

As she stood, she glimpsed her collection of Castle's books on her bookshelf across the room. Anger flared up in her right away, but not with the intensity she had expected. Instead, a wave of sadness washed over her, replacing the anger, as she thought of the night they spent picnicking in Central Park, watching the movie, getting ice cream and walking home afterward. It was the first date she had been on where she didn't have to worry about her escort being intimidated by what she did for a living. It was so refreshing that she could just be herself. After sharing the painful story about her mother's death, she felt like she could truly trust Castle, and she was completely touched when he tried to solve the case. Nobody had ever offered to do such a thing for her without expecting anything in return. And then their kiss during their laser tag session had been like something out of a fairy tale. She was blissfully happy from then on at the prospect that she, of all people, would get to be the date of the intelligent, charming, successful author Richard Castle, of whom she had been a fan for years. She had even, once, stood in line for hours at one of his book signings for the privilege of speaking to him for a few precious minutes and getting him to pen his signature inside her copy of one of his books. She fought back more tears as all her memories of Castle came crowding back. She also realized that, even though he sometimes drove her crazy, she had fallen for him too. This realization made what had happened at the dance all the more bitter of a pill to swallow. Kate finally bit her bottom lip and shook her head at what might have been before heading to the kitchen for that glass of wine.

After another week had passed, Kate was at the precinct studying the latest case posted on the murder board with Ryan and Esposito at her side, when Captain Montgomery soberly approached the three of them. He had gotten a call about a news story that told of a large building fire at what was reported to be Castle's apartment building. Kate tried to shrug it off and look uninterested, but Ryan, Esposito, & Montgomery all knew different. They had picked up on Kate's own words at the dance when she said she might have developed feelings for Castle. Plus, the change in Kate's demeanor had been subtle, but not unnoticeable. A furrow crossed her forehead and her eyes blinked rapidly many times as she tried to focus on the crime scene photos and evidence listed in front of her. She refused to let her eyes meet the men's, instead telling Ryan and Esposito to double-check on some leads. Esposito started to say something, but stopped himself when Ryan gave him a cautionary look. The two headed off towards the elevator to carry out their orders. Captain Montgomery didn't back down so easily. He was Kate's mentor and knew her better than anyone at the precinct. He sat next to her on the edge of her desk and spoke to her gently.

"Kate, you know you don't have to pretend for any of us. I know Castle hurt you, and that everything that's passed can't be undone, but think about it this way: he may be trapped inside that burning building, he may not be. But you'll never know if you stay here. And if you care for him, you may never have the opportunity to tell him." Montgomery gave her a meaningful look that shot right to her core, then stood and headed back into his office.

Two hours later, Kate rubbed her eyes and let out an audible exhale. The uncertainty of Castle's fate had eaten away at her until she could no longer stand not knowing what had happened to him. She had expected him to call if he was OK and with every minute that passed without hearing from him, her anxiety increased. If he was hurt, or worse (don't go there, she told herself) what would happen to her alter-ego Nikki Heat? Or to Castle's real-life daughter Alexis? Or to her? How could she deal with coming to the precinct every day and looking upon the chair he always occupied knowing he'd never occupy it again? Or seeing the espresso machine he had bought for the homicide division knowing they'd never share another coffee in the break room? Or remembering their times together knowing that there wouldn't be any more of them?

He was fine. He had to be fine, she told herself. But she had to know for sure. So as Ryan and Esposito returned from their errand, they passed Kate heading for the elevator. Captain Montgomery then came out of his office and motioned for the two of them to come with him. As they joined Kate on the elevator, she looked at them quizzically.

"When are you gonna learn that you can't hide anything from us?" Esposito asked rhetorically.

"Yeah, I mean we are trained detectives," Ryan added.

Kate smiled gratefully in return. "Thanks, guys." The elevator dinged, signaling their arrival at the ground floor, but before they could exit, Kate shoved a finger into Ryan's chest and shot each man a serious look. "But tell anyone about this, and I promise you'll regret it."

After a short drive that seemed to Kate to take an eternity, they arrived on the scene and flashed their badges to get past the barrier the police and fire department had set up for crowd control. The news that the famous Richard Castle's apartment building was potentially burning to the ground and that the author himself was unaccounted for had caused quite the media frenzy. Besides the press, a crowd of teary-eyed, worried co-eds had formed each clutching a Sharpie and a copy of one of Castle's books, as if both could somehow save him from whatever fate awaited him.

The fire had mostly been put out by now, but smoke still hung in the air and a tanker truck still shot an arc of water at the opposite side of the building. Kate desperately scanned the crowd for any sign of Castle and listened hard for the sound of his voice. Almost ready to give up, she approached a Fire Department Captain, who was bent over a map of the surrounding area and an architectural schematic of the building.

"Hey, Captain, have you seen Richard Castle anywhere around here?"

The man eyed Kate much like a person sitting on a bench in the park would eye a nearby pigeon begging for food. "Why is the NYPD so interested in where Richard Castle is? I tell ya if I get asked where the famous Richard Castle is one more time, I'm gonna puke. Say what are a buncha detectives doing here anyway? Shouldn't you all be off detecting?" He asked sarcastically.

"Listen, Captain," Captain Montgomery stepped in, "the famous Richard Castle, as you call him, happens to be a Homicide Division consultant working with my detectives here, so I'd say we definitely have a vested interest in making sure he's OK, thus explaining why we're here raining on your parade. And I'd also say that you have a vested interest in watching your mouth unless you to be busted down to driving that engine that you're so used to riding shotgun in."

The fire Captain swallowed awkwardly. "Sorry, you all. I didn't know. Um, I haven't seen Castle around at all, but then again, I don't exactly know what he looks like."

"You pull any injured tenants out of the building?" Esposito asked. "Or find any bodies?" Kate shifted noticeably on her feet at Esposito's last question.

"We did pull a few people out with smoke inhalation and minor burns, but I don't think we found any dead bodies. The fire alarms went off pretty early on and it seems like most folks in the building were either out or heeded the warning and got out. Sure is nice when that happens."

Kate thanked the Captain for his help and he told them they were welcome to look around further for Castle, or to speak to the Battalion Chief about any missing residents of the building or other casualties. Kate and the guys did what they could to help the uniforms with crowd control, all the while keeping their eyes peeled and their ears open for any sign of Castle. But he was nowhere to be found.

Frustration, worry, and fatigue all began to well up inside Kate and threatened to bubble over. She wandered through the crowd aimlessly, convinced she was too late and that she had squandered the opportunity she had had to help Castle or to see him again and confess her feelings. She should have gone when Montgomery spoke to her instead of walling her emotions off like she always did.

Ryan, Esposito, and Captain Montgomery all stood at a distance watching as Kate crossed the street from Castle's smoldering building, sat down on the ledge of an empty fountain, and dropped her head in her hands. Where is he? Is he hurt? If so how badly? Where's Alexis? Is she with him? Does she even know he might be hurt or… No! Kate refused to let the possibility of Castle's being dead enter her mind. But the rational side of brain kept repeating that as long as no one knew where he was or what had happened to him, she had to consider it.

"You Ok, ma'am?" A muffled voice asked from a few feet away. It was a firefighter in full turnout gear who had noticed Kate and her distraught state.

"Oh, I'm fine, thanks," she answered sarcastically. "Just peachy."

"Would some laser tag cheer you up?"


	14. Chapter 14

As they say, all good things must come to an end, so here it is – the conclusion to our story. Thank you so much to all of you for reading my work and for your awesome reviews. I appreciate them all so much, but more than that, I'm glad that my creativity entertained you, even the slightest bit.

So here it is. Enjoy!

Kiss Me, Detective – Final chapter

"Excuse m-" Kate started to ask, but stopped short when her breath caught in her throat. Could it be? She turned to see the firefighter walk over and stand in front of her. She watched spellbound as he began taking off his breathing apparatus and helmet. When he finally revealed his sweaty, dirty face, Kate's eyes practically popped out of her head and what air was left in her lungs was promptly sucked away.

It was Castle.

Kate melted into his arms and held him tight, failing in her quest to fight back tears. The roller coaster ride of emotion she had been on for the last couple hours was too much even for her. Her tears flowed silently and mingled with the sweat on his face as they held each other. Her body trembled slightly as she cried, and Castle responded by holding her tighter, stroking her hair, and kissing her cheek lightly. They finally broke apart, but kept their arms wrapped around each other.

"I thought you were…" was all Kate could muster. She stroked his cheek gently, still trying to catch her breath from the adrenaline rush of seeing him. He nodded and that warm, sincere grin that lit Kate up inside slowly formed on his face as he lightly brushed away her tears. "But we asked a Captain and he didn't know where you were. And what are you doing dressed up like a firefighter?"

"I had a meeting with my publicist and arrived right at the same time as the first engine. The building was almost completely engulfed by then. So, after making sure Alexis was accounted for, I offered to help the Battalion Chief by telling him about the layout of the building, who lives where, et cetera. And since he, as opposed to the Captain, who apparently wouldn't know me if he fell over me, is a fan…"

"He gave you some turnout gear to wear and let you help," Beckett finished.

"Uh huh," Castle answered, his eyes lighting up like a child's at Christmas. "He even promised to let me run the siren on the way back to the station!"

At this, Kate could only shake her head and chuckle. Here he was without a place to live, having probably lost all his worldly possessions, and he still found something to be happy about. This was merely one thing she had come to love about being around the great Richard Castle – he could take the darkest moment humanity could offer and find a silver lining, even make her smile or laugh.

"Unfortunately, I got ahead of myself and inhaled some smoke," Castle continued, "so they gave me a breathing apparatus and sent me over here to rest until I recovered. Those worry warts." He did his best imitation of Beckett's eye roll as he finished, eliciting yet another laugh from her. She fell into his chest, wrapping her arms around him again. Castle kissed the top of her head through her hair and inhaled her scent, cherries with a splash of vanilla. He closed his eyes briefly and savored the smell he loved so much. All the worries he had felt over the last couple weeks about the two of them not working together again, about trying to find a different way to write Nikki Heat, about losing her from his life in general, began to dissipate. But he still felt like she deserved something.

"Hey," he said and she lifted her head to look into his eyes. God, how he loved those eyes. "At the risk of repeating myself, I'm so sorry about everything, Kate. I never, ever meant to hurt you and I never should have taken that bet, but, in addition to knocking Chip and Dale down a peg or two, I honestly just wanted to spend time with you. But by the time I realized that I had begun to care for you, really care for you, Demming and Sorenson wouldn't take no for an answer, I guess. They confronted me about the bet and I told them that I wanted out. I was and still am crazy about you and wanted nothing more than just to be with you. No pretense. No strings. Just us. I still want all that, so I ask you for a second chance. Please say you forgive me?" Castle took a deep breath after ending his explanation, which he felt took forever to get out.

Kate could only stare back at Castle with a mixture of awe, admiration and love. She had only known him for a short period of time and yet he had done things for her that nobody else had even offered to do for no reason other than he wanted her to be happy. No other guy she dated had ever showed any interest in her mother's murder. They just avoided the subject. Her heart burst forth with both a physical and emotion desire for the famous writer who had just bared his soul right in front of her. She loved him. Everything about him. And no longer felt afraid to say so. Her heart pounded in her chest and she looked deeper into his eyes than she had ever looked into anyone's. She knew exactly how to answer, but she loved the puppy dog look on his face so much that she wanted to ingrain it in her memory forever. When he raised his eyebrows slightly in a final plea, she spoke.

"Castle, I never thought I could forgive you after what happened at the dance and everything else. When Demming showed me your text message, all the fears I had about you using me for a new book or to get your jollies or whatever like the gossip columnists say you've used so many women seemed to be confirmed. I bought into the image they had painted of you as a rich, spoiled celebrity who uses women like Kleenex because you know there'd always be a line of them at your front door eager to have you sign their chest. But when Captain Montgomery told me about the fire and we couldn't find you and the possibility that you could be hurt or worse hit me, I realized that I've fallen for you too. I've missed you so much since you haven't been around the precinct. I want you in my life, Rick. You and Alexis and all of your playfulness, sensitivity, charm, obnoxiousness, all of it. I just want you." Another tear finally traced its way down Kate's cheek as she spoke. Her heart continued to pound and her chest heaved with anticipation of his response. She thought she saw his eyes well up too as the big bright smile crossed his face once more. He leaned in close to her face and tightened his arms around her.

"Well then you shall have me," he said seductively and kissed her with an all consuming passion. As their lips met, their arms contracted around each other, their hands ran through each other's hair, and their bodies pressed together, Kate could feel Castle's heart through the heavy coat of his turnout gear. Her cherry and vanilla scent quickly mingled with the smell of smoke and sweat coming from his body and her face became smudged with the soot that practically covered his face. But neither cared. They both had each other and were, for the first time in a long time, purely happy.

As Castle lifted Kate off the ground and began twirling her long, lithe body around in a slow circle, Lanie, Ryan, Esposito and Captain Montgomery couldn't hold back their own happiness for these two people who finally dredged up the courage to confess their feelings to each other. Ryan clapped his partner on the back and smiled broadly as Esposito whistled through his teeth and clapped. Lanie and Captain Montgomery shook hands in a congratulatory fashion and then exchanged friendly hugs, each unable to hold back gleeful laughs.

"Hey Dad!" Alexis came running up to the little group of excited onlookers, initially oblivious to the change in her father's relationship with Kate. "The fire department says that our apartment was only slightly damaged and that…whoops!" She turned to Detective Ryan. "I guess he really doesn't care right now, does he?"

Ryan shook his head in response then went back to watching the new couple. "Took 'em long enough don't you think?" He asked Alexis.

"Yeah, definitely," the teenager answered. "I've seen this building in Dad for a long time, but how did it finally happen?"

Lanie walked over and put a friendly arm around Alexis' shoulders. "I'll fill you in later, kiddo. But for now, I'd simply enjoy the moment. Just like they are."


End file.
